Mardi Gras season
28/01/16 05:29
Historically, the season of Lent carried with it a set of steps of preparation for Christian baptism and joining the church. The readings of Lent are designed to give an introduction to the scriptures, sharing major themes from creation, to the historical books to the Psalms and prophets, an overview of the Gospels and readings from the Acts and Epistles. The season also carried an expectation of physical and spiritual preparation. Fasting for both physical and spiritual health was encouraged and over consumption of food was frowned upon.
The process began with confession and an expression of a desire to change. The traditional day of confession was the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the official beginning of the season of Lent. The day came to be known as Shrove Tuesday. Shrove is derived from the word shrive, which means “confess.” Knowing that the confession was the beginning of six weeks of fasting and other preparation, it became a tradition to use the last day before Lent as a time to consume all of the rich and fatty foods that penitents would forgo during the season of Lent. Eating all of those rich foods gave another name, “Fat Tuesday” to the day. The French for fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, a name that is used in many places to describe not only the day, but the entire season from the festival of Epiphany on January 6 to Ash Wednesday.
Carnival celebrations, parades, costume parties and other special events began to spring up during the season of Mardi Gras, many of which had their origins in traditional winter festivals that predate Christian practice. Those festivals and traditions were modified in the Christian era and vary widely depending on what part of the world they are celebrated.
Perhaps no place is as closely related to the celebration of Mardi Gras as the city of New Orleans. The city was multicultural from its beginnings and over the years has developed an ability to celebrate its diverse roots and people. There are seventy parades listed on the official New Orleans Mardi Gras calendar. The parades, along with other special events such as balls and costume parties are sponsored by krewes. The term krewe was coined early in gate 19th century and now has become the common term for any New Orleans Carnival organization. The term also has become associated with the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival and other spring celebrations around the country.
These pre-lenten celebrations seem to get bigger and more elaborate each year, with all kinds of events and activities that are loosely associated with things that might be frowned upon during the rest of the year such as public consumption of alcohol, over-eating, loud and raucous behavior and the like.
Even here in humble South Dakota, the city of Deadwood suspends its ordinance banning open containers on public streets for its Mardi Gras celebration. The consumption, and even overconsumption of alcoholic beverages is not only assumed, but encouraged as part of the celebrations.
And then there are the beads. The tradition of throwing beads is not as ancient as some other Mardi Gras elements. Sometime in the 1920s the practice of giving away inexpensive glass necklaces began to be a part of the Rex parade in New Orleans. A tradition was born and these the glass beads have been replaced with even less expensive plastic varieties that are mass produced, usually outside of the United States. Now beads are thrown in celebrations all around the country. According to the website of the Deadwood Mardi Gras Weekend, 100,000 sets of beads will be distributed this year. That’s a lot of cheap plastic jewelry that won’t be worn for more than a single evening’s celebration and soon will end up in the landfill.
I’ve never gotten much into Mardi Gras. I’m not opposed to parties and parades, but I don’t experience my faith as involving restrictions on my behavior. It is, rather a lifestyle that I freely embrace and which seems to support the mental, physical and spiritual health that I desire. I rarely “give up” anything for Lent. Rather I simply become a little bit more intentional about the faith practices to which I aspire for my entire life. Prayer and a lifestyle that is healthy are they way I want to live. I don’t have a desire to put on a mask and pretend I’m someone that I am not. Nor do I require a season of intentional sin in order to repent.
There are some things about the celebrations that do garner my attention, however. A lot of creativity, artistry and energy are invested in some of the parade floats and decorations. There are worthwhile charities supported by the generosity of celebrants. The music can be wonderful. There is a spirit of openness and acceptance of human differences. Some of the social barriers that separate the races and different economic classes fall away during the celebration of Mardi Gras.
I suspect that the historic tolerance of the decidedly secular festivities by church leaders was, in part, an acknowledgment that there is some good in the midst of all of the debauchery.
Again, my perspective is a little different. I don’t find the disciplines of a life of faith to be restrictive. I haven’t felt a need to rebel. I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but I do hope that celebrants will remember that the combination of overeating, overconsumption of alcohol, public displays of certain behaviors and other elements of the celebration can have some pretty catastrophic consequences. A fun evening can be destroyed by drunk driving on winding black hills roads. Too much of a good thing can lead to a trip to the emergency room or even a lifetime of dealing with a chronic illness.
Have fun out there people. Pour your creative energy into an exciting costume. Pile on the beads. Eat and drink and be merry. Just don't forget to be safe.
Then, when it is over, lets journey together through the season of Lent, looking for deeper connection and deeper meaning and growing a faith that is strong not only for sunny day celebrations, but also for the times of grief and sorrow and doubt.
The process began with confession and an expression of a desire to change. The traditional day of confession was the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the official beginning of the season of Lent. The day came to be known as Shrove Tuesday. Shrove is derived from the word shrive, which means “confess.” Knowing that the confession was the beginning of six weeks of fasting and other preparation, it became a tradition to use the last day before Lent as a time to consume all of the rich and fatty foods that penitents would forgo during the season of Lent. Eating all of those rich foods gave another name, “Fat Tuesday” to the day. The French for fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, a name that is used in many places to describe not only the day, but the entire season from the festival of Epiphany on January 6 to Ash Wednesday.
Carnival celebrations, parades, costume parties and other special events began to spring up during the season of Mardi Gras, many of which had their origins in traditional winter festivals that predate Christian practice. Those festivals and traditions were modified in the Christian era and vary widely depending on what part of the world they are celebrated.
Perhaps no place is as closely related to the celebration of Mardi Gras as the city of New Orleans. The city was multicultural from its beginnings and over the years has developed an ability to celebrate its diverse roots and people. There are seventy parades listed on the official New Orleans Mardi Gras calendar. The parades, along with other special events such as balls and costume parties are sponsored by krewes. The term krewe was coined early in gate 19th century and now has become the common term for any New Orleans Carnival organization. The term also has become associated with the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival and other spring celebrations around the country.
These pre-lenten celebrations seem to get bigger and more elaborate each year, with all kinds of events and activities that are loosely associated with things that might be frowned upon during the rest of the year such as public consumption of alcohol, over-eating, loud and raucous behavior and the like.
Even here in humble South Dakota, the city of Deadwood suspends its ordinance banning open containers on public streets for its Mardi Gras celebration. The consumption, and even overconsumption of alcoholic beverages is not only assumed, but encouraged as part of the celebrations.
And then there are the beads. The tradition of throwing beads is not as ancient as some other Mardi Gras elements. Sometime in the 1920s the practice of giving away inexpensive glass necklaces began to be a part of the Rex parade in New Orleans. A tradition was born and these the glass beads have been replaced with even less expensive plastic varieties that are mass produced, usually outside of the United States. Now beads are thrown in celebrations all around the country. According to the website of the Deadwood Mardi Gras Weekend, 100,000 sets of beads will be distributed this year. That’s a lot of cheap plastic jewelry that won’t be worn for more than a single evening’s celebration and soon will end up in the landfill.
I’ve never gotten much into Mardi Gras. I’m not opposed to parties and parades, but I don’t experience my faith as involving restrictions on my behavior. It is, rather a lifestyle that I freely embrace and which seems to support the mental, physical and spiritual health that I desire. I rarely “give up” anything for Lent. Rather I simply become a little bit more intentional about the faith practices to which I aspire for my entire life. Prayer and a lifestyle that is healthy are they way I want to live. I don’t have a desire to put on a mask and pretend I’m someone that I am not. Nor do I require a season of intentional sin in order to repent.
There are some things about the celebrations that do garner my attention, however. A lot of creativity, artistry and energy are invested in some of the parade floats and decorations. There are worthwhile charities supported by the generosity of celebrants. The music can be wonderful. There is a spirit of openness and acceptance of human differences. Some of the social barriers that separate the races and different economic classes fall away during the celebration of Mardi Gras.
I suspect that the historic tolerance of the decidedly secular festivities by church leaders was, in part, an acknowledgment that there is some good in the midst of all of the debauchery.
Again, my perspective is a little different. I don’t find the disciplines of a life of faith to be restrictive. I haven’t felt a need to rebel. I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but I do hope that celebrants will remember that the combination of overeating, overconsumption of alcohol, public displays of certain behaviors and other elements of the celebration can have some pretty catastrophic consequences. A fun evening can be destroyed by drunk driving on winding black hills roads. Too much of a good thing can lead to a trip to the emergency room or even a lifetime of dealing with a chronic illness.
Have fun out there people. Pour your creative energy into an exciting costume. Pile on the beads. Eat and drink and be merry. Just don't forget to be safe.
Then, when it is over, lets journey together through the season of Lent, looking for deeper connection and deeper meaning and growing a faith that is strong not only for sunny day celebrations, but also for the times of grief and sorrow and doubt.