Compléter MARDI GRASVersion en ligne LEES DE TEKST AANDACHTIG EN KIES HET JUISTE WOORD UIT DE LIJST OM DE OPEN PLEK TE VULLEN par Magda Lichtenberg 1 habit membership amusement Celebrities religious park parades celebration food toss MARDI GRAS Mardi Gras means " Fat Tuesday " . It began as a Christian . " Fat " symbolized how much people ate on the Tuesday before Lent . Lent is a period a few weeks before Easter . Long ago Christians fasted during Lent . To fast means to give up . These days Christians usually give up a bad during Lent . Mardi Gras is sometimes a one - day celebration . Christians call this day Shrove Tuesday ( or Pancake Tuesday ) . Most Mardi Gras celebrations aren't anymore . Some countries celebrate Mardi Gras for weeks at a time . These parties are called festivals or carnivals and they mark the change of winter to spring . Activities include dressing up , dancing and having parades . New Orleans is well known for its Mardi Gras . " Krewes " are private clubs that organize the events . Krewe is secret to the public . Nobody knows what the parade floats will look like . The people on the floats wear masks and party favors to the crowd . The colors of Mardi Gras are purple , gold and green . These stand for justice , power and faith . Rio de Janeiro also hosts springtime festivals . Rio's Carnival is " The greatest party on earth . " It is well known for its samba school parade . love to watch the famous parade from private balconies . Judges decide which samba school has the best dancers and costumes . Canadians enjoy an annual carnival too . It is not in the springtime . Quebec City's Winter Festival is one of the largest in the world . Close to one million people visit the winter each year . Activities include sleigh racing and dog sledding .