14
Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday.” The “fat” in the name comes from the ancient custom of parading a fat ox through Paris on this day. The ox was to
remind the people that they were not allowed to eat meat during the time of fasting known as Lent. Lent runs from
Standards Link: History: Students understand cultural contributions from various regions and how they helped to form a national heritage. French people who came to the United States brought the custom of Mardi Gras with them. Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday. ince “Mardi” means “Tuesday,” you can tell the holiday is always celebrated on that day of the week. The date can fall between February 3 and March 9, depending on the lunar calendar used by the Catholic Church to determine the date of Easter. Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter Sunday.
Help the jester nd his way to the Mardi Gras doubloons.
25 People celebrate with parades and masked balls. Trinkets, especially beads and doubloons, are tossed to the crowds from parade floats. 28 Paraders wear giant
17 People dance in the streets.
Mardi Gras parades happen throughout the world. Some of the most famous celebration centers are: New Orleans and
Lafayette in Louisiana, Biloxi in Mississippi, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Nice in France, and Viareggio in Italy.
29 During Mardi Gras, people dress in costumes and put on an ancient play.
masks that make them look like walking heads with tiny bodies. 7 + 8 + 5 + 9 = Southern Italy 4 + 3 + 5 + 5 = Rio de Janeiro 37 - 9 = Nice, France 31 - 6 = New Orleans Standards Link: History: Understand cultural contributions from various regions. Do the math to discover where these Mardi Gras customs take place.
© Vicki Whiting February 2026
familyresourcegroupinc.com
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online