{"id":86024,"date":"2026-02-10T09:04:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/when-is-mardi-gras-2026-the-meaning-of-the-holiday-colors-history\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T09:04:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:04:29","slug":"when-is-mardi-gras-2026-the-meaning-of-the-holiday-colors-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/when-is-mardi-gras-2026-the-meaning-of-the-holiday-colors-history\/","title":{"rendered":"When is Mardi Gras 2026? The meaning of the holiday, colors, history"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A parade participant hands out beads along the parade route in the Bastrop Mardi Gras Parade, Feb. 1, 2025. The second annual parade is part of the city’s Mardi Gras festival- a cultural exchange with Evangeline Parish, Louisiana celebrating Cajun culture and customs.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sara Diggins\/American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Fat Tuesday<\/a> is just over a week away, marking the final \u2014 and biggest \u2014 day of the Mardi Gras <\/a>season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While the holiday is most closely associated with New Orleans, Mardi Gras<\/a> has deep historical roots \u2014 and Texans celebrate it too, with major events already underway in Galveston.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Here\u2019s when Mardi Gras ends this year, where Texans celebrate, and why the holiday\u2019s date changes every year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tiffany Gitre, of Round Rock, sings and dances along with the Austin Samba group during Carnaval Brasileiro, a Brazilian-style Mardi Gras, at Emo???s in Austin, Feb. 22, 2020. The first Austin based Carnaval was put on by Brazilian University of Texas students about 45 years ago, according to the festival???s website. [Angela Piazza for Statesman]<\/p>\n

<\/span>Austin 360<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When is Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday 2026?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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In the Catholic tradition, Mardi Gras begins on Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, which falls on Jan. 6 each year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The season ends on Fat Tuesday, which falls on Feb. 17 this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The date changes annually because it\u2019s tied to Easter, which falls on April 5 this year. Fat Tuesday always takes place 47 days before Easter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mardi Gras is a popular annual event in Galveston. [Contributed by Galveston CVB]<\/p>\n

<\/span>Austin 360<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What does Mardi Gras mean\u00a0\u2014 and why is it called Fat Tuesday?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Fat Tuesday marks the final day of celebration before Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Historically, Christians used the day to indulge in rich, fatty foods \u2014 such as meat, butter and sweets \u2014 before a period of fasting and restraint.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The name \u201cMardi Gras\u201d comes from French and literally means \u201cFat Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Suzanne Cordeiro\/ For American-Statesman Third Annual Mardi Gras Dog Parade held at Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co on February 3, 2018 in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\/ American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What do the Mardi Gras colors mean?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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According to Mardi Gras New Orleans,<\/a> there are a few stories behind the traditional colors of purple, green and gold. In 1892, the Rex parade in New Orleans — the origin of many Mardi Gras traditions in the city — assigned meaning to the colors: Purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power. The organization said the common story is that the colors were officially designated in 1872 to honor the visiting Russian Grand Duke Alesei Alexandrovich Romanoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But a historian working on a book about the traditions uncovered a slightly different explanation — yes, the 1872 parade was the first to use the colors, per an order from the King of Carnival himself. But the reasoning for the colors is more unknown: Purple was the obvious first choice due to its association with royalty. The historian believed that the other two colors were chosen mostly due to the rules of establishing a coat of arms and a flag.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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” Then, according to ‘heraldry,’ you need both ‘metals’ and ‘colors.’ When it came to metals, gold also seemed obvious for a king. Then, also according to rules that determine coat of arms, there are only five acceptable color choices: Red, blue, purple, green and black,\u201d the website reads.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Suzanne Cordeiro\/ For American-Statesman Third Annual Mardi Gras Dog Parade held at Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co on February 3, 2018 in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\/ American-Statesman<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When is Mardi Gras in New Orleans 2026?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday, and Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter\u00a0\u2014 so you can calculate Mardi Gras dates based on the day Easter falls on each year. Easter generally falls between March 23 and April 25, but more specifically, it\u2019s the first Sunday following the Paschal Moon\u00a0\u2014 the first full moon on or after the spring equinox.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Here are the official Mardi Gras dates for the next 10 years:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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