My friend and I will be in Paris the end of February /beginning of March. I've read there is a parade on Sunday, February 26th to kick off the holy week. What festivals or activities take place the few days after that, especially on Tuesday (Mardi Gras)?
Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
1438 posts
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, April 9 in 2017. It is the week leading up to Easter, and includes Holy Thursday and Good Friday, both solemn religious days in the Catholic, and most Christian churches. Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017) is the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1, 2017. Festivities vary from town to town, but you will not find the excesses that you see in New Orleans. The week of Ash Wednesday is not called a holy week. Enjoy your visit to Paris, and do remember, Lent is a religious time period.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Sorry... I am not Catholic but my friend is. I don't know all the terminology! Thank you for the feedback, though.
Do I understand you to say that there are no scheduled festivals in Paris that week other than the parade on Sunday? We're not looking for a party, we just want to experience as much culture as possible.
Thanks!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
1438 posts
I don't know about anything specific, but I am sure there will celebrations on Mardi Gras day, as well as the weekend before. Have a wonderful time!
Posted by
Paris
2466 posts
It's nothing like Mardi Gras in New Orleans - no beads, no trinkets, no floats - but there are parades and music. There isn't much turnout, though - it's a neighborhood thing, and perhaps most people don't know where the festivities are held. Also, it depends on whether or not the organization can secure a parade permit. There is always a problem with authorizing "le boeuf gras" on the grounds of animal cruelty.
Here's a website en francais which is trying to raise money and encourage people to join the parade. Try reading the blog:
http://www.carnaval-paris.org/
Mostly, little kids dress up and go to private or school-sponsored parties.
Mardi Gras will be celebrated on Sunday 26 February 2017.
Posted by
Paris
2466 posts
It's too bad that you won't be in Paris to see the Chinese New Year parade - that's well worth seeing. Several parades all over the city, dragons, etc.
http://www.evous.fr/Nouvel-An-chinois-defiles-Paris-1119004.html