Annie's Mardi Gras Page

Annie's "Mardi Gras" Page

*Also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday and always 46 days before Easter*
~Celebrated on February 5th, 2008~

The Dictionary defines Mardi Gras this way:
Main Entry: Mar·di Gras
Pronunciation: 'mär-dE-"grä, in New Orleans commonly -"gro
Function: noun
Etymology: French, literally, fat Tuesday
Date: 1699
1 a : Shrove Tuesday often observed (as in New Orleans) with parades and festivities b : a carnival period climaxing on Shrove Tuesday
2 : a festive occasion resembling a pre-Lenten Mardi Gras

Is it a Christian Holiday?
Are the origins found in Pagan Religions?
What does the Bible say about Mardi Gras?
Do all Christian's celebrate this holiday?
What is a Christian anyway and how can I become one?

Questions, questions and more questions. The last question is the easiest to answer. It is not very hard to become a Christian but it does required a step of faith. To learn how to become a Christian visit: The Four Spiritual Laws!

Please remember that every holiday and every activity that you take part in is an opportunity to share your faith with others. Even if you "don't" celebrate this holiday or others it is still a witness in itself and an opportunity to share the "Word of God" and salvation with others.

Now back to the holiday called Mardi Gras. Should you celebrate this holiday? That is entirely up to you and the Lord. Remember that learning about the history of a holiday is not actually celebrating it. The Lord is really the only person that knows your heart and motive in all that you do. Christians are not suppose to be the cause for others to stumble, so seek the Lord in all that you do. Whether your questions seem small or insignificant to you, the Bible reminds us that "there is nothing too hard for Jesus" and He really can handle anything.

You might be surprised to learn where some of our holidays come from. I have many different holiday pages and they are all listed by month here: Annie's Holiday Page. You might consider making your own holiday pages this year. Visit: Annie's "Why I Have Holiday Pages" Page to find out why I have these pages.

Here is what The World Book Encyclopedia says about Mardi Gras:
"Mardi Gras, pronounced MAHR dee GRAH, is a lively, colorful celebration held on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. The date of Mardi Gras depends on the date of Easter. Mardi Gras takes place at the end of a long carnival season that begins on January 6, or Twelfth Night. It is celebrated in many Roman Catholic countries and other communities. Mardi Gras means fat Tuesday in French. The term may have arisen in part from the custom of parading a fat ox through French towns and villages on Shrove Tuesday.

French colonists introduced Mardi Gras into America in the early 1700's. The custom became popular in New Orleans, Louisiana, and spread through several Southern States. Mardi Gras is a legal holiday in Alabama and Florida and in eight parishes (counties) of Louisiana. The New Orleans celebration is the most famous. But Biloxi, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama, also celebrate Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans attracts tourists from around the world. Parades begin the week before Mardi Gras. Societies called krewes organize and pay for the parades and other festivities. During the carnival season, the krewes give balls and parties. They parade in masks and fancy dress. A parade of floats and marching bands climaxes the carnival on Mardi Gras. Riders on the floats throw necklaces, toys, and coins called doubloons to the onlookers. Each year, the festivities have a theme.

Mardi Gras goes back to an ancient Roman custom of merrymaking before a period of fast. In Germany Mardi Gras is called Fastnacht. In England it is called Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday."

Compton's Encyclopedia tells us about "carnival":
"The name "carnival" originally was given to the season of merrymaking held on the three days before Lent in Roman Catholic cities." "Every year, about a million visitors attend New Orleans's exciting Mardi Gras festival in February or March."

Shrove Tuesday:
"Shrove Tuesday, pronounced shrohv, is the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Its name comes from the custom of making confession of sin and receiving forgiveness (being shriven) on that day. Shrove Tuesday is a time of celebration in many countries. It corresponds with Fastnacht in Germany and Mardi Gras in France and the Southern United States. The English celebrate Shrove Tuesday as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day. They traditionally cook and eat flat, thin pancakes on that day."
~All the above information is from The World Book Encyclopedia~

"History of the Pancake: Pancakes are probably the oldest prepared food. The first pancakes were a mixture of pounded grain and water spread on a hot stone. Today, people enjoy such pancake variations as French crepes, Hungarian palacintas, Indian dosai, Italian cannelloni, Jewish blintzes, and Russian blini."
~All the above information is from The World Book Encyclopedia~

The World Book Encyclopedia says this about Shrove Tuesday:
"Shrove Tuesday, pronounced shrohv, is the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Its name comes from the custom of making confession of sin and receiving forgiveness (being shriven) on that day. Shrove Tuesday is a time of celebration in many countries. It corresponds with Fastnacht in Germany and Mardi Gras in France and the Southern United States. The English celebrate Shrove Tuesday as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day. They traditionally cook and eat flat, thin pancakes on that day."

Here is what Compton's Encyclopedia says about Mardi Gras:
"Mardi Gras (or Shrove Tuesday), the day preceding the Roman Catholic period of Lent. The term Mardi Gras has also come to be associated more generally with a prolonged festival celebrated in the pre-Lenten season. In many Roman Catholic countries the period of festivities marking the last days before Lent is known as carnival. The word is probably derived from the Latin carne vale, meaning "meat, farewell," because Roman Catholics traditionally abstained from eating meat during the 40 days of Lent. The carnival season often culminates in elaborate pageants held on Shrove Tuesday, the day before the beginning of Lent. This day is also called by its French name, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), which pertains to the custom of consuming all the fats in the home before Lent. Mardi Gras is a celebration of life's excesses before the austerity of the season of Lent.

The duration of the carnival season varies according to national and local traditions. In Germany the pre-Lenten celebration, called Fasching, either begins at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (November 11 at 11 AM ) or on Twelfth Night (January 6). France restricts the pre-Lenten celebration to Shrove Tuesday. One of the most well-known carnival celebrations takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the festival lasts for four days.

In the United States, the Catholic French who settled in Louisiana brought the traditions of Mardi Gras with them from their native country. The celebration took root in New Orleans, La., which now boasts the most famous carnival celebration in the United States. The millions of tourists the festival draws to the city are a mainstay of New Orleans' economy. Mobile, Ala., and Biloxi, Miss., also stage well-attended Mardi Gras celebrations. In New Orleans the carnival season begins on Twelfth Night (January 6) and concludes with the Mardi Gras festivities, which begin approximately ten days to two weeks before Fat Tuesday.

The earliest celebrations of Mardi Gras in New Orleans began in 1766 with masked balls and risque street processions. By 1806 the annual revelry had gotten so out of hand that Mardi Gras celebrations were forbidden, but the law was widely ignored. Authorities revoked the prohibition of the festivities in 1826, after which the popularity of Mardi Gras grew tremendously. In 1827 youths recently returned to New Orleans from studying in Paris donned masks and took to the streets in celebration of Mardi Gras. Following the European fashion, masked balls became so popular in the city during the 19th century that the season's duration was limited several times by law to prevent yearlong celebrations.

The social clubs called krewes that stage the festival's elaborate parades and balls first began organizing in 1857. The first krewe to organize was the Mystick Krewe of Comus. Another renowned organization, the krewe of Rex, developed in 1872. Many of the old-line krewes remain influential in the city's society. In the past, krewes were often divided between men's and women's clubs, and some were infamously exclusive. Today a city ordinance denies parade permits to discriminatory groups.

Each organization chooses a king, queen, and court from the families of its more prominent members. The distinction of being chosen as "royalty" is highly prized among krewe members. A krewe carefully guards the identity of its royalty until Mardi Gras or the day the krewe parades and stages its ball. Beginning shortly after Christmas the krewes hold gala balls almost every night of the carnival season. As Lent approaches, the Mardi Gras season is marked by parades throughout the days and nights. In the late 1970s the city council placed a limit on the number of parades along traditional routes. The renowned Rex parade takes place on Mardi Gras, the day before Lent. The king of Rex also serves as the king of the carnival--the distinction is bestowed on a well-known civic and business leader. Revelers prize "throws," or trinkets that are tossed into the crowds, including plastic beads and "doubloons," or brightly colored aluminum coins often embossed with a krewe symbol."

Festivals from Compton's Encyclopedia:
"Festivals are usually devoted to merrymaking. One of the most famous in the United States is Mardi Gras in New Orleans, La. The custom was brought from France by the early settlers of Louisiana.

Mardi Gras is a time of feasting and fun just before Lent begins. The celebrations start sometime in January, though the most elaborate activities take place during the week preceding Ash Wednesday. They end on the night of "fat Tuesday," which is the literal translation of the French "Mardi Gras." Every year thousands of tourists crowd New Orleans to see elaborate floats, dancing in the streets, and the colorful crowning of a queen by Rex, the Lord of Misrule."

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