Q 01/05

What does 'Mardi Gras' mean in French?

A) Big Party

B) Happy Feast

C) Fat Tuesday

D) Long Parade

Answer · why

C) Fat Tuesday

Fat Tuesday is the last chance to feast on rich, fatty foods such as eggs, milk and cheese before the Lenten fast begins the next day.

Q 02/05

Mardi Gras can land in February or March because its date is counted back from which holiday?

A) Christmas

B) Easter

C) Thanksgiving

D) Passover

Answer · why

B) Easter

Easter moves with the spring full moon, and Mardi Gras always falls 47 days before it, so the party can land anywhere from February 3 to March 9.

Q 03/05

New Orleans opens Carnival season on January 6 with a walking parade honoring which famous Frenchwoman?

A) Marie Antoinette

B) Joan of Arc

C) Marie Curie

D) Coco Chanel

Answer · why

B) Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc is called the Maid of Orléans for freeing that French city from a siege, and New Orleans honors her as its unofficial patron saint.

Q 04/05

What are the three traditional colors of Mardi Gras in New Orleans?

A) Red, white and blue

B) Orange, black and white

C) Purple, green and gold

D) Pink, silver and blue

Answer · why

C) Purple, green and gold

Purple, green and gold were first announced in 1872, when citizens were asked to drape their balconies in the three colors; nobody wrote down why they...

Q 05/05

On Lundi Gras, the day before Mardi Gras, the King of Carnival traditionally arrives in New Orleans how?

A) On horseback

B) By helicopter

C) By boat

D) By hot-air balloon

Answer · why

C) By boat

By boat: the king first landed from the Mississippi River in 1874, and the riverfront arrival was revived in 1987 as the centerpiece of Lundi Gras.