Mardi Gras

Today is Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras. I took Elena down to the Stuttgart Mardi Gras parade despite it being cold and windy, and at the end a bit wet. I've decided that if I'm to stay sane as a stay-at-home Mom, I need to get out and DO something every day. I've found that it gives Elena a chance to nap, gives me some exercise, and (most importantly) gives me a mood-boost. Fresh air and German men dressed as Rockettes (complete with chorus line kicks) will lift my spirits any day.

Fastnacht
The terms "Mardi Gras" (mär`dē grä) and "Mardi Gras season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. From the French term "Mardi Gras" (literally "Fat Tuesday"), the term has come to mean the whole period of activity related to those events, beyond just the single day, often called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday.

The celebration of Mardi Gras in Germany is called Karneval, Fastnacht, or Fasching. Fastnacht means "Eve of the Beginning of the Fast", and thus it is celebrated until the day before Ash Wednesday. The most famous parades are held in Köln (Cologne), Mainz, and Düsseldorf on Monday before Ash Wednesday on "Rosenmontag" i.e. Lundi Gras.

Aschermittwoch
In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter.

Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are gathered after the Palm Crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned. In the liturgical practice of some churches, the ashes are mixed with the Oil of the Catechumens (one of the sacred oils used to anoint those about to be baptized), though some churches use ordinary oil. This paste is used by the priest who presides at the service to make the sign of the cross, first upon his own forehead and then on each of those present who kneel before him at the altar rail. As he does so, he recites the words: "Remember (O man) that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

[As always, thanks to Wikipedia for the info.]