The beginning of March launches the first of several holidays and traditions with Roman Catholic roots such as Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent and St. Patrick’s Day. While they date back ...

Easter is a week away, ending 40 days of repentance and fasting for Christians known as Lent. In New Orleans, the contrast from Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday to Ash Wednesday and weeks of reflection ...

On Feb. 14, 2024, millions of Catholics around the world received a traditional ash cross on their foreheads to mark the beginning of Lent — the 40-day period before Easter that, according to ...

and continues until Mardi Gras, which is the final day of feasting, drinking and revelry before Ash Wednesday and the fasting associated with Lent, the Christian season of preparation for Easter.

Wrapping up the season, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday arrives every year on the Tuesday before Lent. This year, that’s March 4. As Skull and Bones parades through Tremé, there’s drumming and chanting.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. This picture shows Catholic worshippers at a Mass in Washington DC. Their foreheads are marked with crosses of black ash. Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat ...

The carnival period, with its decreased rules, culminated with one last day of celebration, Mardi Gras, followed by a period of fasting, Lent. In Louisiana, the period of parades and celebrations ...