Fat Tuesday

Now we are entering the season of Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday"). It is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". It is the final day of Carnival, the Fast of Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday.

For many centuries people went to confession and were "shriven" of their sins, and then gathered all the fat (oil) in the house to use before the Fast of Lent descended. Thus began the party atmosphere and the tradition of pancakes, using the oil.

I think so much of modern life isn't interrupted by the sacred. How would the multi-colored Sunday Advertisements be centered around the theme of penitence and contrition and self-examination in the light of Christ. I don't think that would be very easy, so we, as humans focus only on the wild parties of Mardi Gras, forgetting this is also a day of Confession and preparation.

Comments

[Robb]

I have to echo what Damien said above. I lived in New Orleans for 13 years. The parties were great. I bought my first (underage) beer from a street vendor. I have great and wild memories.

Yet what I remember the most is the way the cops and cleaning crews descend at midnight and kick people off the streets. I also remember clearly being hauled into church the next day by my mom who was trying to teach us about Lent, fasting and penance.

I think a lot of the folks who live in Louisiana and observe Mardi Gras really do get it. I think it is the tourists, drunken frat boys, and the media that doesn't get it.

Have a happy Fat Tuesday!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

[Lorna]

excellent post

May your preparations for lent be blessed today

[gavin]

is this how a monk says, 'pancake party at my house?' i'm there!

[Damien Scott]

Having spent several years at Mardi Gras in New Orleans (in town on religious business, really and truly, with a bunch of priests, nuns and seminarians), I learned a wonderful lesson from attending the parades. (And we didn't go to anything raunchy.) It is all so pretty, and bright, and they throw what look like jewels and coins and the people shout and grab and knock one another over to get the biggest and the best. And you walk away exhilirated, weighted down with necklaces and gaudy objects, your pockets stuffed with doubloons. And in the morning, you see that it is all nothing, broken strings of plastic beads, tin coins that buy nothing, stale Moon Pies, cracked plastic cups...

An excellent preparation for Lent: a full blast exprience of the emptiness of the prizes our culture holds out to us and for which we will trample one another, screaming gimme, gimme, gimme!.

A sister friend says you can't have a good Lent if you don't have a good Mardi Gras. I finally understnad what she means.

And it is a lot of fun!