Mardi Gras Feb. 13, 2024

Mardi Gras

Get ready to revel, because Mardi Gras is here! Also called Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, the holiday was originally celebrated to live life to the fullest before fasting and giving up other indulgences for Lent—though many modern celebrators are just happy to use the occasion as an excuse to party. Fat Tuesday celebrations take place in cities and countries around the world, particularly those with French influence, due to the settlers that brought the custom. Out of these places, New Orleans has become intrinsically linked with the festival thanks to its massive four-to-eight-week-long celebration.

© Erik Pronske Photography/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Fly me to the moon
Feb. 13, 2025Lake Tyrrell, Victoria, Australia
Feb. 13, 2026Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Laos and Thailand

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov. 11, 2024Banff National Park, Alberta
Dec. 2, 2024Moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
Celebrating art in the city
Jun. 16, 2025World Sea Turtle Day
An underwater paradise to explore
Feb. 25, 2025Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, United States
A galaxy full of stars
This blue succulent is as good as gold here
Twinkle twinkle, little bugs
Apr. 14, 2025Atlantic spotted dolphins
Ive got a lot of problems with you penguins!
Dec. 19, 2024Sibiu Christmas Market, Romania
Jan. 30, 2024Aýna, Albacete, Spain
An ocean of stars above the desert
Ride the wave
Nov. 23, 2024Fibonacci Day
Nov. 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Jun. 25, 2025Glastonbury Festival begins
We’ve made it to Halfway Day!
A day for giving
Dec. 16, 2025Handmade gnomes at a Christmas market
Sep. 20, 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
Dec. 5, 2024Tufa formation on Mono Lake, California, United States
Sep. 27, 2023Via Krupp, Capri, Italy
What waterborne wizardry is this?
This museum sets the prairie on fire
Aug. 26, 2025Trullo buildings in Alberobello, Apulia, Italy
Nov. 18, 2025Male hooded merganser, Oregon, United States
Stairway to where?
Widespread and long-eared