Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Source Infrogmation, Author Infrogation of New Orleans (CC BY-SA 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic, 1.0 Generic and GNU Free Documentation License)
Mardi Gras is on February 17th this year. As always, it falls on the last day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.
Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday”, referring to the last day Christians have traditionally been permitted to indulge in rich foods before the Lenten fast [1]. In New Orleans, it stretches from Twelfth Night a/k/a Epiphany on January 6th to Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras represents a last opportunity for merrymaking.
Few revelers these days plan to adhere to religious obligations in the weeks afterward. Most Christian denominations still do though observe the penitential Lenten season [2].
In contrast with Mardi Gras, the 40 days of Lent are meant to remind us of Christ’s fast in the desert before His public ministry, and turn our thoughts to His Passion. For Christians, it is a time of introspection and repentance. Many churches remove flowers from their altars, and veil the crucifix during Lent.
Lent, of course, culminates in Easter – that most joyous of celebrations commemorating Christ’s Resurrection. No amount of Mardi Gras revelry can compare.
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[1] Wikipedia, “Mardi Gras”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras.
[2] Wikipedia, “Lent”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent.
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If I’m being honest, I’ve never understood the whole Mardi Gras thing being tied into Christianity or “religion”. People parade in the streets, consume vast amounts of alcohol, dress in costumes that vary from the absurd to erotic, expose themselves as payment for a few trinkets, and all of this is done with the knowledge that the next day it’s time to get serious about “religion”? It all sounds more like the Exodus 32 account of the people rising up to play to me.
6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves…
Then again, I’ve been called “out of touch” many times before…
Some people put enormous effort into Mardi Gras — the costumes and floats. The Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans which followed Hurricane Katrina was considered a sign that the city was determined to survive, proof that life triumphs over death. But any religious significance of the event gets lost in the festivities.
Absolutely, Anna! Thanks for enlightening me about Mardi Gras. Let’s all go deeper with Jesus.
I had no idea the revelry in New Orleans lasted from Epiphany on and culminating in Mardi Gras. It does make you wonder whether the celebration is more the province of the profane than the sacred.