Why Is Fat Tuesday Called Fat Tuesday?
How can a day of the week be fat? Wouldn’t it be more politically correct to call it “Husky Tuesday” or “Full-Figured Tuesday?” Well as you probably know, it’s not the day that’s fat, but the people who celebrate this raucous holiday. The name Fat Tuesday is actually the English translation of Mardi Gras, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s start at the beginning.
Fat Tuesday is called Fat Tuesday for different reasons. In some places, it is called Fat Tuesday because of the tradition of slaughtering and eating a fattened calf before Lent. In other places, it is called Fat Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday because the people make pancakes to use up all the dairy, eggs and fat before Lent begins. And it is also called Fat Tuesday in reference to the general overindulgence and debauchery that take place before the season of fasting begins.
What Is Fat Tuesday?
In the Catholic Church calendar, you’ve got your big holidays (Christmas, Good Friday, Easter) and your lesser-known holidays like Epiphany and Ash Wednesday. Epiphany takes place on January 6, twelve days after Christmas, and it is a celebration of the arrival of the Wise Men to worship the baby Jesus. Epiphany kicks off a season of celebration (as if Christmas and New Year’s weren’t enough) known as Carnival, which comes from the Latin meaning “farewell to the flesh.” Carnival is sort of one, long, extended, last hurrah before the season of Lent begins, when you have to give up everything delicious and fattening to fast and pray for the 40 days until Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, so from January 6 until Ash Wednesday (which can be any Wednesday between February 4 and March 10, depending on when Easter is), Catholics and hedonists the world over throw a series of parties. The final party is on the day before Ash Wednesday - which is sometimes called Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday.
What Is the Difference Between Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras?
Technically, there is no difference between Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras. The two have exactly the same meaning. However, in many places, “Mardi Gras” has come to refer to the entire season of Carnival while “Fat Tuesday” is only the day before Ash Wednesday.
When Is Fat Tuesday?
Here are the dates of Fat Tuesday for the next several years. It’s an official holiday in New Orleans, Louisiana, so head on down to celebrate, but make your reservations early. The party fills up quickly.
- February 16, 2010
- March 8, 2011
- February 21, 2012
- February 12, 2013
- March 4, 2014
- February 17, 2015
- February 9, 2016
- February 28, 2017
- February 13, 2018
- March 5, 2019
- February 25, 2020
So why is Fat Tuesday called Fat Tuesday? It could be because you kill a fattened calf and eat it, or perhaps because you eat a stack of pancakes a mile high, or maybe because you drink your weight in bourbon. No matter what makes it fat for you (or what about makes you fat), you’ve got the next 40 days to slim back down.