Every year, vibrant and lively festivals take place all over the world, commonly known as Mardi Gras. People fill the streets to celebrate through parades, colorful costumes, music, and traditional foods like king cake. While this celebration is known for its excitement, many people don’t know that Mardi Gras has deep religious and historical roots.
The term Mardi Gras is French and translates to “Fat Tuesday.” According to an article about the history of Mardi Gras, merrymakers would eat rich and fatty foods such as eggs, milk, meat, and cheese that were left in their fridge on the days leading up to Lent. By the time Lent came around, their fridge was prepared for 40 days of different types of fasting. This timed perfectly so that they could eat everything they possibly could before having to restrict themselves during Lent (history.com).
Mardi Gras is related to the Christian season of Lent. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Lent is a 40-day-long season that includes fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. It begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18, and continues until sundown on Holy Thursday, April 2. Lent’s purpose is to prepare for the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday through fasting and repentance. This 40-day period is a time to practice self-discipline, abstain from meat on Fridays or fast in other ways, give alms as a way to share God’s gifts, and read Scripture. Many people choose to give something up, like sweets, soda, or everyday luxuries, in order to practice discipline and become closer to God (usccb.org).
Many students at UC High participate in Lent each year. Junior Riley Conklin said, “This year, I am giving up all kinds of sweets, because I feel like it would be a good challenge. It serves as an act of repentance to strengthen my connection with God.” Many students like Conklin participate as well, bringing many different perspectives and sacrifices to the table.
Fortunately, there is more to the holiday’s background than the glutinous ritual of stuffing yourself with everything in sight. According to Catholic Online, most religious practices rooted in Europe and spread to the Americas through colonization and immigration, bringing holidays like Mardi Gras to be celebrated as they were in Europe.
Specifically in New Orleans, although celebrated globally, Mardi Gras came to be an immense celebration throughout the city, with masked balls and parades on the streets. Although, in the eighteenth century, the Spanish took control over New Orleans and they had a more serious perspective on faith, so they enforced restrictions on the holiday. By 1823, the restrictions were lifted, and by 1837, parades and masked balls returned. From this, the holiday was not as exclusive to being a Christian tradition, and people of all faiths began to celebrate the day (catholic.org).
New Orleans is a place that people travel to from around the world to experience the vibrant Mardi Gras festivals. According to an article about Mardi Gras, people dress up in gold, purple, and green, if not a costume, and wear long strings of beads. The day of celebration consists of eating delicious food, watching the beautiful floats in the parade, and blasting jazz, blues, and mambo music. It is a joy-filled day with a lot of energy and fun (mardigrasneworleans.com).
The contrasting themes of Mardi Gras and Lent make for a perfect mix of preparation and celebration. Evidently, Mardi Gras isn’t just an excuse to party for everyone. For Christians, it is a final celebration before Lent, where they get to make a sacrifice to God and strengthen their connection with Him.