Extravagant French Vocabulary
 |
|
| Share / Tweet / Pin Me! | |
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 2026, Mardi gras is 17 February; in 2027, it will be 9 February.*
The period leading up to Mardi Gras is called Carnaval, and the several-week festival is celebrated in New Orleans, Nice, Guadeloupe, and many other francophone (and non-francophone) cities, regions, and countries.
| Shrove Tuesday | le Mardi gras | |
| Ash Wednesday | le mercredi des Cendres | |
| Lent | le carême | |
| Easter | le Pâques, les Pâques | |
| Passover | la pâque |
Mardi Gras colors ~ Les couleurs de Mardi gras
The three official colors of Mardi Gras have official meanings:
| gold | power | or | le pouvoir | |
| green | faith | vert | la foi | |
| purple | justice | violet | la justice |
Mardi Gras vocabulary ~ Le vocabulaire de mardi gras
| bead | une perle | |
| bonfire | un feu de joie | |
| captain | le capitaine | |
| costume | un costume | |
| costume ball | un bal masqué | |
| crowd | la foule | |
| crown | une couronne | |
| dancing | la danse | |
| disguise | un déguisement | |
| doubloon | un doublon | |
| effigy | une effigie | |
| feather | une plume | |
| float | un char | |
| jewel | un bijou | |
| king | le roi | |
| krewe (organizer) | un krewe | |
| Mardi gras run | le courir | |
| mask | le masque | |
| music | la musique | |
| necklace | un collier | |
| parade | un défilé | |
| queen | la reine | |
| sequin | une paillette | |
| torch | un flambeau | |
| trinket | une babiole |
French listening practice
Related lessons
Mardi gras lesson plans
- Mardi gras et Carnaval (Powerpoint, 4th – 12th grade)
- Mardi gras history and activities (Lesson, 8th grade)
- Mardi gras classroom party (Article, 4th – 7th grade)
- Cajun music (Lesson, 7th – 12th grade)
- Study of the Acadians (Lesson, 6th – 12th grade)
More from LKL
* Pancake recipes
In Commonwealth countries, this same day is known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day.
French vocabulary for other holidays
Share / Tweet / Pin Me!
This free website is created with love and a great deal of work. If you love it, please consider making a 
The letter combination il has various pronunciations depending on what precedes it.
Le festival de Cannes is one of the most famous film festivals in the world, and it takes place every May in the beautiful south of France. This issue of Lawless French à fond is all about movies and movie festivals.
A self-study French course divided into 30 loosely themed units consisting of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation lessons; cultural tips; and assorted quizzes along the way.
An indirect object is a person that someone or something does something to indirectly. In both French and English, indirect objects are often replaced with indirect object pronouns.