Shrovetide, Carnevale and Mardi Gras are different names for the days before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent.
Shrovetide
The Old English verb ‘to shrive’ means receiving absolution of one’s wrongdoings through
confession and penitence and was the custom before the start of Lent. Today Shrove
Tuesday is more associated with pancake races!
Mardi Gras
‘Fat Tuesday’ is a time of parades, music and dancing and in normal years New Orleans is one of the most famous locations for street parades.
Carnevale
Literally translated from the Latin it means ‘removal of meat’ (carne – meat; vale – remove). One of the most famous Carnevale, which lasts several weeks, is held in Venice. Documents dating back a thousand years indicate public celebrations were held in the last few days before Lent and an Act of the Senate in 1296 formalised the public festivities and permitted masks to be worn. Revived in the 1970s, the annual Carnevale Venezia is a major tourist attraction attracting thousands, with street theatre and masked balls providing the entertainment.