Most of you know Mardi Gras as “that awesome day in New Orleans where everyone gets super drunk while wearing glitter and feathers, and flashes the crowds for plastic beads,” but really, that is far from the whole story. 

What makes Mardi Gras different from Halloween or a Gay Pride celebration is its connection to Carnival Season - the time between the Twelfth Night of Christmas and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Carnival is celebrated throughout the world as the official time to shake your sillies out, eat King’s Cake and indulge in all those goodies you plan on giving up for Lent. Because, hey, if Jesus could spend 40 days and nights fasting and being tempted by the devil in the desert, the least you can do is stop eating cheeseburgers until Easter - and that kind of discipline requires preparation.

But if you’re not the cheeseburger-devouring, booze-guzzling, booby-bearing type, how do you properly prepare for Lent? Here’s what devout Christians do during Mardi Gras season: They have PANCAKE PARTIES!

On Fat Tuesday (aka Shrove Tuesday), many Christians clear their refrigerators of perishables and indulgences that are off-limits during Lent. Guess what falls into that category... butter and syrup and pancakes, oh my! And it gets better. Tradition (and legend) calls for PANCAKE RACES on that fateful Tuesday, for in 1445, one woman reportedly lost track of time while making pancakes and ended up running to Church, frying pan still in hand.

So next year, instead of waking up on Ash Wednesday with a hangover and a list of regrets, wake up satisfied, knowing you spent Fat Tuesday eating tons of pancakes - and then running off the calories!