Mardi Gras is celebrated on the day before which Christian observance?

Mardi Gras is celebrated on the day before Ash Wednesday.

The name Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday,” referring to the traditional final opportunity to eat rich foods before Lent begins. In the Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a period of prayer, repentance, and fasting lasting roughly 40 weekdays before Easter.

Mardi Gras is also called Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day, or Fat Tuesday in different places. It is the final day of Carnival, although Carnival festivities often begin weeks earlier. The date changes every year because it is tied to Easter, which is a movable feast.

A common mix-up is choosing Easter, Good Friday, or Palm Sunday. Those observances occur later in Holy Week or the Easter season; Mardi Gras always immediately precedes Ash Wednesday.