What does "Mardi Gras" translate to in English?

“What does ‘Mardi Gras’ translate to in English?” — “Fat Tuesday.” The phrase comes directly from French: mardi means “Tuesday,” and gras means “fat.” It names the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the day that begins the Christian season of Lent.

The “fat” refers to the traditional custom of eating rich foods before Lenten fasting and abstinence. In many communities, households used up ingredients such as meat, butter, milk, eggs, and sugar rather than letting them go to waste during the coming period of restraint. The same day is also called Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day, or Carnival Tuesday in different regions.

A common mix-up is “Fat Thursday,” which is used for a related Carnival day in parts of Europe, including Italy and Poland. Mardi Gras itself is specifically Tuesday. It is also more precise to treat Mardi Gras as the final day of Carnival, although “Mardi Gras” can sometimes describe the wider festival season, especially in New Orleans, where celebrations may begin around Epiphany.