UNA’s Department of Foreign Languages Celebrates Multicultural Mardi Gras

Feb. 28, 2025

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@ctienviron.com, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – For the fifth year, the Department of Foreign Languages will have a multicultural Mardi Gras celebration, which will include Karneval and Carnavales, on Tuesday, March 4, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Guillot University Center on the UNA campus.

“Mardi Gras, Karneval, Carnavales…it’s what we in America know as Mardi Gras, but it’s celebrated all over the world under different names,” said Dr. Rebecca Linam, a Lecturer of German in the Department of Foreign Languages and coordinator of the annual event. “The celebration takes place during the weeks leading up to the start of Lent, which marks a time of fasting until Easter.

In France, Mardi Gras is celebrated with various traditions, such as parades and costumes. In places like Louisiana, south Alabama, and coastal Mississippi, people often enjoy King Cake as they celebrate the last day of feasting before Ash Wednesday when the Lenten season begins. The UNA French Club will offer attendees King Cake samples, beads, and Mardi Gras fun.

In German-speaking countries, the celebration has several names depending on the region: Karneval, Fasching, or Fastnacht. Germans often refer to it as the fifth season of the year as it is such a large part of their cultural heritage. People celebrate with parades and by wearing costumes to conceal their identities while they pack in lots of fun before Lent. Typical Karneval treats include Krapfen, or Berliner, which is a sort of jelly-filled doughnut. It is also a tradition that women cut off men’s ties. The German Club will bring both of these traditions to the celebration. T-shirts to commemorate the event will be given to the first XX attendees.

In Hispanic countries, Carnevales in Spain and Spanish American takes place two weeks before Lent. During the festivities, one can expect a variety of lively activities, performances, and delicious foot. The Spanish Club will serve a traditional Spanish crepe that is a Carnavales staple, and t-shirts will be given to those who participate in Spanish language/Carnavales trivia.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: ctienviron.com and ctienviron.com/unaworks/.