| ORIGIN OF CARNIVAL AND MARDI GRAS - KEY FACTS |
| Carnival is said to have originated in Egypt. |
| Carnival is mostly associated with Roman Catholics. |
| The original meaning of the word 'carnival' is 'farewell to meat', as it precedes the period of Lent. |
| Mardi Gras dates back to the medieval tradition of celebration before the arrival of Lent. |
| The day of Epiphany is marked by the beginning of the Carnival. |
| The date of Mardi Gras depends on the date of Easter. |
| There are forty days between the end of the Carnival and Easter. |
| In the Anglo-Saxon countries, Mardi Gras is called Fat Tuesday. |
| In the Christian calendar Mardi Gras is known as Shrove Tuesday. |
| Duringthe period of Lent one avoids eating fat. |
| Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. |
| Ash Wednesday marks the memory of Adam. |
| The festival of Easter commemorates and celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
| One consumes fat on the day before Lent called Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. |
| The end of Carnival marks the beginning of Lent. |
| Fat Tuesday precedes Ash Wednesday. |
| The carnival ends on Ash Wednesday. |
| Mi-Karem comes mid-way between the end of the carnival and Easter. |
| "The Coming of the Son of God into the Temple" is a feast also called Candlemas. |
| Candlemas is also called the crêpe day. |
| Valentine's day is a day of lovers which falls during the carnival period. |
| Dimanche Gras or Fat Sunday is the first day of the carnival. |
| Lundi Gras or Fat Monday is the day before Mardi Gras. |
| The three 'fat days', Fat Sunday, Fat Monday and Fat Tuesday are called Shrovetide. |
| In France, Lundi Gras or Fat Monday is also known as the 'day of the youth'. |
