What is the name of the season leading up to Mardi Gras?

“What is the name of the season leading up to Mardi Gras?” — “Carnival.” Carnival is the festive pre-Lenten season that reaches its climax on Mardi Gras, also called Shrove Tuesday. Mardi Gras is therefore usually the final day of Carnival rather than the name of the entire season.

In the traditional Christian calendar, Carnival includes the closing days before Lent, especially Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday. In many places, however, the celebration begins earlier—often around Epiphany on January 6—and may include weeks of parades, masquerade balls, dances, feasts, and public processions.

The season developed partly as a period of feasting before Lent’s restrictions. Foods that might be limited during Lent, including meat, butter, milk, and eggs, were used in lavish meals and pastries. The term Carnival is often connected with Latin expressions involving removing or saying farewell to meat, reflecting the approaching fast.

Lent is the season that follows Mardi Gras, not the season leading up to it. Advent leads to Christmas, while Epiphany is a separate feast that often marks the beginning of Carnival in local traditions.