Carnival Season typically starts after Epiphany on Jan. 6 and culminates on Ash Wednesday, which falls on March 5 this year.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans, has been in full swing since Jan. 6 and will close with a final celebration on March 4 with a Fat Tuesday celebration.

It's the apotheosis of Carnival, marking the end of the "week of seven fat days" before Lent, the liturgical period of devotion to God during which people fast. A day of festivities during which rich ...

The origins of Carnival trace back to ancient times, rooted in pagan festivals that celebrated ... before the penitential observance of Lent. Mardi Gras' origins can be traced back to France ...