Fat Tuesday

Fat Tuesday, It’s an unofficial holiday for many in the metro Detroit area: Fat Tuesday, also known as Paczki Day. A Polish-American tradition, several celebrate on Fat Tuesday — the day before Lent begins – by gorging on paczki, which are calorie-laden, deep-fried pastries filled with the most delicious creams, custards and jellies.

Traditionally, the reason for making paczki (pronounced “pooonch-key”) was to use up all the lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, because the ingredients were forbidden to be consumed due to Catholic fasting practices during Lent, according to Michigan.org.

The tradition has evolved over the years and now, come Fat Tuesday, Americans rush out to get the tastiest paczki they can find. Ask any metro Detroiter and they’ll tell you, the best place to go for pazcki is Hamtramck.

That’s where WWJ’s Mike Campbell found Denise Star, an executive at Compuware, standing in line at the New Palace Bakery to buy a whopping 19 dozen paczki for her office.

“I’ve been doing this for 24 years straight and I take them to the employees I work with,” she said.

Fat Tuesday History

Fat Tuesday History, In recent years, Mardi Gras, literally “fat Tuesday,” has gained a reputation as wild celebration held each year in boisterous places like Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans’ French Quarter. Believe it or not, the Carnival celebrations often associated with beads, parades, costumes and partying actually stem from the Christian calendar.

According to AmericanCatholic.org , Mardi Gras originated as the “last hurrah” of gluttony before Lent and fasting began on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is also the final culmination of the entire Carnival season, serving as a grand finale to six weeks of celebration.

The Carnival season kicks off with Epiphany – which falls on January 6, 12 days after Christmas – to celebrate the Wise Men who brought gifts to infant Jesus. Epiphany is traditionally celebrated with a wreath-shaped “king cake,” often decorated the Mardi Gras colors of purple (justice), green (faith) and gold (power). New Orleans Online asserts that traditional king cake is one of the most popular Carnival institutions.

Mardi Gras as we know it today was first celebrated in the late 1700s, according to a report from the Orange County Register , when French settlers in what is now Louisiana held masked pre-Lenten balls. Though the Spanish prohibited the celebrations when they controlled the land, the revelry returned in the mid-1800s and has been celebrated in New Orleans every year since.

Today cities including Mobile, Ala.; St. Louis, Mo.; Sydney, Australia; and Quebec City, Canada hold massive Mardi Gras celebrations often including parades, parties and more.

Want to check out Mardi Gras festivities for yourself? Click over to NOLA.com’s Parade Cam to join the party.