2. What does Mardi Gras mean? Mardi Tuesday Gras Fat So the meaning is « Fat Tuesday » ! Indeed, Mardi Gras is the French for « Shrove Tuesday » . It has the same meaning, and the same religious origins. It’s always on the Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent ( Carême in French ). So Christians were not supposed to eat any meat and eggs during the 40 days of Lent, ending on Easter. That’s why on Shrove Tuesday, we eat a lot of really good ( and fat ! ) food like crêpes, cakes, pancakes … because we need to be good during Lent.