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Extravagant Italian Vocabulary
Mardi Gras is an annual celebration of extravagance and (over)indulgence before Lent. The official slogan is "Let the good times roll," which is translated literally into French as Laissez les bons temps rouler (and is used only in Louisiana).
Because Mardi Gras, literally "Fat Tuesday," is tied to Easter, the date changes every year: it occurs 46 days before Easter, so somewhere between 3 February and 9 March. In 2023, Mardi gras is 21 February; in 2024, it will be 13 February.*
The period leading up to Mardi Gras is called Carnevale, and the several-week festival is celebrated all over the world. One of the most famous celebrations is in Venice.
| Shrove Tuesday | Martedì grasso | |
| Ash Wednesday | Mercoledì delle Ceneri | |
| Lent | Quaresima | |
| Easter | Pasqua | |
| Passover | Pasqua ebraica |
Mardi Gras colors ~ I colori del Martedì grasso
The three official colors of Mardi Gras have official meanings:
| gold | power | oro | il potere | |
| green | faith | verde | la fede | |
| purple | justice | viola | la giustizia |
Mardi Gras vocabulary ~ Il vocabulario del Martedì grasso
| bead | una perlina | |
| bonfire | un falò | |
| captain | il capitano | |
| costume | un costume | |
| crowd | la folla | |
| crown | una corona | |
| dancing | il ballo | |
| disguise | un travestimento | |
| doubloon | un doblone | |
| effigy | un’effigie | |
| feather | una piuma | |
| float | un carro | |
| jewel | un gioiello | |
| king | il re | |
| krewe (organizer) | un krewe | |
| Mardi gras run | la corsa del Martedì Grasso | |
| mask | la maschera | |
| masked ball | un ballo in maschera | |
| music | la musica | |
| necklace | una collana | |
| parade | una parata | |
| queen | la regina | |
| sequin | un lustrino | |
| torch | una torcia | |
| trinket | un gingillo |
Related lessons
More from LKL
* Pancake recipes
In Commonwealth countries, this same day is known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day.
Italian vocabulary for other holidays
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Ciao! I’m Laura K Lawless, creator, writer, editor, and CLO (Chief Lawless Officer) of this free online Italian learning site. Lawless Italian is an official Lawless Languages site.
