LAFAYETTE PARISH — For most south Louisianians, Mardi Gras is easy to recognize and even easier to love.
For some, it’s the beads, the King Cake, or the fanfare. For others, it’s a couple of days off to let loose. And for many, it’s simply tradition — something that happens every year, even if the reason why isn’t always clear.
So why do we celebrate Mardi Gras when we do?
The answer begins with Epiphany, Jan. 6, which marks the official start of the Carnival season, according to Cajun folklorist Barry Ancelet.
“Epiphany is always January 6th,” Ancelet said. “It’s the beginning of the season leading up to Easter, and interestingly, Easter is determined by the first Sunday after the first full moon after the equinox.”
Because Easter’s date changes each year, everything tied to it shifts as well, including Mardi Gras.
For many, Mardi Gras is closely associated with Catholic tradition. Ancelet explained that Mardi Gras is calculated by counting back 40 days from Easter, not including Sundays, landing on the final day before the start of Lent.
Between Mardi Gras and Easter lies the Lenten season, a period traditionally marked by fasting and reflection.
While the holiday is often viewed through the lens of Catholic faith, some of its roots stretch back even further to ancient springtime celebrations. But Ancelet said Mardi Gras isn’t the result of a hidden pagan tradition.
“There were existing holidays or celebrations,” Ancelet said. “Rather than compete with them, early Christianity just made use of them and overlapped established celebrations at the same time.”
Beyond religion, practicality also played a role in shaping the season.
In traditional agricultural societies, winter food stores were often running low by the time Lent arrived. Fasting wasn’t just symbolic — it made sense.
“It’s not all that much of a coincidence that Lent happens when the winter stores were beginning to dwindle,” Ancelet said. “The best way to get everybody to agree to fast and conserve resources was to get everybody to party and create a sense of solidarity before going into what they were inevitably going to need to do.”
Today, Mardi Gras may look different than it did centuries ago, but its timing — and the traditions tied to it — are still rooted in history, faith, and community.
Whether you celebrate for the meaning or the moment, the season’s rhythm continues to follow the moon — just as it always has.
