Similar celebrations known as 'Fat Thursday' are held in many other countries.

Instead, it's Fat Thursday and doughnuts.

Fat Thursday (in Poland)

It is a typical Carnival cake, its name appearing to derive from the word Berlingaccio, meaning "Fat Thursday".

Paczki Day (Fat Thursday)

Many people around the city celebrate Fat Thursday by eating Pączki (singular form: pączek), even if they are not Polish.

On Fat Thursday, the inhabitants, except those in Villar, parade again from Sampeyre and return to their village for the finale of the party.

Chicago celebrates the festival on both Fat Thursday and Fat Tuesday, due to its sizable Polish population.

Nowadays Fat Thursday is associated particularly with donuts, therefore on that day confectioneries are besieged by Poles who wish to purchase pączki to celebrate.

The Hauptfasnet is the time from Fat Thursday to Ash Wednesday, it's the high season of carnival in Rottenburg.

The most popular sweets during Fat Thursday are pączki (Polish donuts) or faworki called also in some regions of Poland "chrust".

Even though during Easter many housewives make pączki and faworki at home, one can see crowds of people at confectioneries buying this Fat Thursday's specialty.

The festivities begin on Dijous Gras, or Fat Thursday, with the arribo, King Carnestoltes' spectacular arrival.

In Poland this celebration falls on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday and is called tłusty czwartek or Fat Thursday.

Fat Thursday (locally known as Weiberdonnerstag): Children's Carnival in the afternoon, after which comes a colourful evening with Carnival speeches and sketches.

It's the main day of Carnival along with the Thursday before, called Giovedí Grasso (Fat Thursday), which ratifies the start of the celebrations.

Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday) is a Catholic feast celebrated on the last Thursday before the Lent, which is also the last day of carnival.

Street carnival, a week-long street festival, also called "the crazy days", takes place between the Fat Thursday (Weiberfastnacht) and ends on Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch).

Traditionally, at the end of the silent march that closes the carnival the "General" says goodbye to everyone with the traditional phrase "See you next Fat Thursday at 1 p.m."

In Italy, Giovedì Grasso (Fat Thursday) is also celebrated, but it is not very different from Martedì Grasso (Shrove Tuesday).

On the second Sunday before Fat Thursday, four processions parade within the villages, except for the inhabitants of Calchesio who go to Sampeyre to meet the cortege of Piasso.

Fat Thursday used to mark the beginning of a Fat Week, the period of great gluttony during which Polish ancestors consumed dishes served with smalec (lard), bacon and all kinds of meat.

The long-awaited return of the festival in the year 2012 began on February 5 and concluded on February 16, the final Thursday before Lent (a day that is also celebrated as Fat Thursday).

In Eupen, Mardi Gras is preceded by the Kappensitzung, or preliminary carnival activities electing the Carnaval Prince (Jan. 8 this year) and devoting one day, Fat Thursday, to women.

In Poland and areas with large Polish American, Christian populations (such as Chicago), it is known as 'Tłusty Czwartek' (literally: Fat Thursday) and celebrated on the Thursday before Lent.