Mardi Gras and Faith

Ash Wednesday and Lent are around the corner. In our faith this is a time of reflection,sorrow,abstaining,fasting,repentance and giving. This is a preparation for Easter. Lent is a time for us to reflect upon our relationship with Jesus. This is a time to come to a greater understanding and relationship with Our Holy Father. We look upon the journey he embarked upon before his death and resurrection. I have decided to try to write a bit more during Lent not only for others but for myself. To deepen my faith and my relationship with God. First we begin with "Mardi Gras" (tomorrow),which is French for "Fat Tuesday". It is also known by such names as "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Tuesday" in England. The later name gives us some insight as to what goes on. In England this has been a traditional day to fill up on pancakes which are full of fat, eggs and dairy before fasting and giving up these things for 40 days in Lent. "Fat Tuesday" gives us visions of people filling their bellies to over stuff and then indulging even more. "Mardi Gras" as most of us know it, is a day for colorful beads,king cakes,loud parties and over indulgences. It is a day for celebrations, carnivals and parades. It hardly seems to be a fitting lead into the season to come. Most people who celebrate this day do so without any knowledge of it's religious significance. Some look at this day as a last chance to indulge in treats that they will be giving up in the weeks to come. Some say it was also a day to use up forbidden foods from the pantry; or to slaughter and enjoy a fattened calf on the last day. This may seem silly in this time of plenty. Meat was a more important food staple in the early days of the church. To give up meat for 40 days was a huge sacrifice. Most importantly it is a day of repentance; a day to look for forgiveness before embarking on a journey to follow our Lord more closely. The parties and carnivals seem so out of place unless you know that the word Carnival in Latin (carne vale) means, "Farewell to the Flesh". So maybe it is most of all a time to reflect upon the beginning of a season where we celebrate one of our faiths greatest mysteries, the farewell to Jesus in the human flesh and HIS resurrection. Fat Tuesday or Mardis Gras actually has it's "kick off" during Epiphany (12 days after Christmas) when the see the Wise Men finding Jesus and bearing gifts to the newborn King. A lot of the funny traditions also stem form this. It is believed that we make king cakes (a colorful and lavish bread associated with Mardi Gras) in a circular shape to imitate the routes taken by the wise men in finding Jesus (frequently a small baby doll is hidden in the bread to represent the Christ child). The wise men traveled in a circular path to confuse king Herod. What ever the reason that we do the funny things we do before Lent, we should keep in our hearts the solemn season which will begin abruptly at midnight of Fat Tuesday. Hopefully we will open ourselves to a deeper understanding of Christ through our Lenten journey how ever we chose to begin it. Copyright 2012 Micheline Edwards All rights Reserved