fat tuesday
Though its exact origins are subject to debate, the celebration known as Carnival came to be associated with Judeo-Christian tradition. In its earliest usage in medieval Europe, the Latin word carnelevare, from which "carnival" is derived (literally meaning "to lift up" or relieve from "flesh" or "meat"), may have referred to the beginning of the Lenten season of atonement and abstinence rather than the festive holiday customs that preceded Lent.
