Do you celebrate Mardi Gras? If so, what kinds of traditions do you have? If not, what other holidays do you celebrate, and what kinds of traditions do you have for those holidays?
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Mardi Gras is a festive holiday celebrated all around the world. Mardi Gras parades often include colourful floats, feathered masks, and lots of food. The name “Mardi Gras” is French, translating into “Fat Tuesday” in English. The celebration originated as a religious holiday, marking the day before the Christian tradition of Lent. Christians would often make pancakes on this day to use up all of the milk, butter, and eggs in their houses. This became known as Pancake Day, and later as Mardi Gras when people began to celebrate it in France. Today, Mardi Gras is celebrated by people of all cultures. In some places— such as New Orleans, Louisiana— the parties and parades can last for two weeks.
Do you have any resolutions this year? How do you plan to achieve them?
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The Origin of the New Year’s Celebration Today, New Year’s is a festive holiday celebrated all around the world. The tradition began 4,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, where the people celebrated each year with an 11-day festival. Even back then, people made New Year’s resolutions. They believed that making promises to improve themselves helped to make sure the gods would stay happy with the kingdom. During that time, the celebration took place in March, but a new calendar was introduced over 1,000 years later in Ancient Rome. Since then, New Year’s has mostly been celebrated on January 1st.
