Catholic Roots of Mardi Gras
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Mardi Gras, literally "Fat Tuesday," has grown in
popularity in recent years as a raucous, sometimes hedonistic event. But its
roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the "last hurrah" before Lent begins on
Ash Wednesday. That's why the enormous party in New Orleans, for example, ends
abruptly at midnight on Tuesday, with battalions of streetsweepers pushing the
crowds out of the French Quarter towards home.
What is less known about Mardi Gras is its relation to
the Christmas season, through the ordinary-time interlude known in many Catholic
cultures as Carnival. (Ordinary time, in the Christian calendar, refers to the
normal "ordering" of time outside of the Advent/Christmas or Lent/Easter
seasons. There is a fine
Scripture From Scratch article on that topic if you want to learn
more.)
Carnival comes from the Latin words carne
vale, meaning "farewell to the flesh." Like many Catholic holidays and
seasonal celebrations, it likely has its roots in pre-Christian traditions based
on the seasons. Some believe the festival represented the few days added to the
lunar calendar to make it coincide with the solar calendar; since these days
were outside the calendar, rules and customs were not obeyed. Others see it as a
late-winter celebration designed to welcome the coming spring. As early as the
middle of the second century, the Romans observed a Fast of 40 Days, which was
preceded by a brief season of feasting, costumes and merrymaking.
The Carnival season kicks off with the Epiphany, also
known as Twelfth Night, Three Kings' Day and, in the Eastern churches,
Theophany. Epiphany, which falls on January 6, 12 days after Christmas,
celebrates the visit of the Wise Men bearing gifts for the infant Jesus. In
cultures that celebrate Carnival, Epiphany kicks off a series of parties leading
up to Mardi Gras.
Epiphany is also traditionally when celebrants serve
King's Cake, a custom that began in France in the 12th century. Legend has it
that the cakes were made in a circle to represent the circular routes that the
Wise Men took to find Jesus, in order to confuse King Herod and foil his plans
of killing the Christ Child. In the early days, a coin or bean was hidden inside
the cake, and whoever found the item was said to have good luck in the coming
year. In Louisiana, bakers now put a small baby, representing the Christ Child,
in the cake; the recipient is then expected to host the next King Cake
party.
There are well-known season-long Carnival celebrations in
Europe and Latin America, including Nice, France; Cologne, Germany; and Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. The best-known celebration in the U.S. is in New Orleans and
the French-Catholic communities of the Gulf Coast. Mardi Gras came to the New
World in 1699, when a French explorer arrived at the Mississippi River, about 60
miles south of present day New Orleans. He named the spot Point du Mardi Gras
because he knew the holiday was being celebrated in his native country that
day.
Eventually the French in New Orleans celebrated Mardi
Gras with masked balls and parties, until the Spanish government took over in
the mid-1700s and banned the celebrations. The ban continued even after the U.S.
government acquired the land but the celebrations resumed in 1827. The official
colors of Mardi Gras, with their roots in Catholicism, were chosen 10 years
later: purple, a symbol of justice; green, representing faith; and gold, to
signify power.
Mardi Gras literally means "Fat Tuesday" in
French. The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting upon a
fattened calf on the last day of Carnival. The day is also known as Shrove
Tuesday (from "to shrive," or hear confessions), Pancake Tuesday and fetter
Dienstag. The custom of making pancakes comes from the need to use up fat, eggs
and dairy before the fasting and abstinence of Lent begins.
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