h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Fat Tuesday as translated from the French. A Catholic holiday, the last day before the beginning of Lent, the day before Ash Wednesday. Celebrated as a chance to get things out of the system before the penitent season, it has been adopted by Non-Catholics as a reason to party and adapted by several local cultures to include aspects of pagan beliefs since Catholicism has spread so widely and integrated so thoroughly world-wide.
The celebration, usually called 'carnival' lasts for days, culminating on Tuesday, and ending promptly at midnight, for the beginning of Lent. Several sites host large congregations annually for the event and have reputations for extreme carnival parties. These include: For South America, Rio; for North America, New Orleans; for Australia, Sydney. The reputation for nudity and drunkenness is seemingly well-deserved. In New Orleans, tons of plastic beads are sold annually to drunk men who entice women to flash their breasts in exchange for them. Thus the real attraction to carnival for many. While moral inhibitions are temporarily set aside and people seem to adopt an "anything goes" attitude amidst the drunken throngs, an innate comradery keeps violence to a minimum, and in the end a good time is had by most, hangovers aside. Upon finding onesself in the midst of a Mardi Gras carnival, grab a beer, and don't expect to be anywhere before Thursday. It's worth the delay.