Like a festive air: Carnival and Tuesday
On March 1, we celebrated Mardi Gras. A look back at this tradition, originally pagan and Christian, which continues to be celebrated today in France and in the four corners of the world.
Unlike Candlemas, the date of Mardi Gras is not fixed. According to tradition, it takes place 47 days before Easter and thus marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. Next year, we will therefore celebrate Mardi Gras on Tuesday, February 21.
But where does this party come from?
It is originally a pagan festival celebrated during Roman Antiquity on the occasion of the “Calends of March”. The Romans ate for several days in abundance and were allowed to dress up to celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of spring. The custom was later taken up by the Catholic Church to announce the start of Lent, a 40-day period during which Christians ate “lean”. Mardi gras was therefore the last day when they could eat without depriving themselves and empty their reserves of butter and eggs.
But how can you talk about Mardi gras without also talking about carnival, which in Latin means “entering Lent”? Indeed, whether young or old, everyone indulges in the festivities and enjoys the many carnivals organized by schools and towns. In France, the most popular carnivals are those of Nice and Dunkirk.
Several regions, several carnival donut recipes!
Today, Mardi Gras has remained a very festive day during which children dress up, put on makeup and have fun with their friends or family. On this occasion, the French enjoy pancakes, waffles but also and above all carnival donuts! Each region has its own donut recipe to celebrate Mardi Gras. In the north of France, we eat delicious apple donuts called “croustillons”. In Lyon, it is the traditional bugnes that we taste while in Nice, we prefer to eat braids. In Savoie, we eat donuts called “rissoles” and nun’s farts in Franche-Comté. In the southwest, it’s the orange blossom wonders that are popular. And you, which recipe do you prefer?
Focus on the Annecy Carnival, “the little Venice of the Alps”.
Unlike other carnivals, the Annecy Venetian Carnival usually takes place 2 weeks after Mardi Gras. It will therefore be held this year from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 March in Annecy, a city in the Alps located in the south-east of France. This Carnival is today the second largest gathering of masks in the world, with nearly 500 masks parading in the streets and on the shores of Lake Annecy. For 3 days, visitors can see and take pictures of the masks as well as the sumptuous colorful costumes that brighten up the pretty streets of Annecy. This is an unmissable event that welcomes around 70,000 visitors each year!
Sources :
https://www.groupe-pvg.fr/fr/actualites/le-carnaval-dannecy-et-de-la-clusaz–1090
https://www.sncf-connect.com/article/le-carnaval-venitien-dannecy-66007
https://www.linternaute.com/sortir/guide-des-loisirs/1213241-mardi-gras-2022-beignet-bugne-gaufre-les-recettes-de-carnaval/
https://www.geo.fr/histoire/quelle-est-lorigine-du-mardi-gras-208214
Lyonnaise bugnes recipe: https://www.marieclaire.fr/cuisine/veritables-bugnes-lyonnaises,1203061.asp
Northern croustillons recipe: https://culture-crunch.com/2020/01/31/croustillons-du-nord-la-recette-facile/
