Christmas Ends to Make Way for Mardi Gras Season

Christmas officially ends today with Epiphany (a.k.a Twelfth Night), and the Mardi Gras season officially has officially begun.

People outside the state of Louisiana (or followers of Mardi Gras) probably don’t know what this “season” really is, but even those who aren’t Catholic (or who attend Liturgical churches), are frequently involved in this season in some fashion or another because of parties, parades, and other festivities even outside of the Fat Tuesday capital: New Orleans.

Mardi Gras season officially goes from Epiphany (January 6) until Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent). For those who don’t know what Lent is, it is the 40 days prior to Easter. So, essentially, the length of Mardi Gras season is varied each year, because Easter isn’t on the same Sunday every year.

This year, Mardi Gras is on Match 1, which is about an eight week season.

Also, Mardi Gras celebrations aren’t limited to New Orleans. The rest of the state joins in on the fun with parades, parties, and other celebrations.

It’s important here to emphasize why Christmas’s end marks the beginning of Mardi Gras season. The 12 days of Christmas actually begin on December 25 not December 12 or December 13 as the retail stores or Hallmark Channel would have you believe. January 6 (Epiphany) is also known for the celebration of when we celebrate when the wise men found baby Jesus.

In the Russian Orthodox tradition, January 6 is Christmas Eve and January 7 is their Christmas Day. It’s also important to remember that Easter falls a week later in their liturgical calendar as well. So, since this is the first major Cajun holiday of the year, let the good times roll, ya’ll!

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