Mardi Gras a Religious Celebration…Really?

Mardi Gras, also known as “Fat Tuesday,” has its roots in the Christian calendar as the last hooray before Lent begins. This day has become more popular in recent years as a hedonistic and raucous event, but it began as the last celebration before Ash Wednesday. This is the reason the grand celebration in New Orleans is known to end abruptly at midnight on Tuesday; it is the introduction to Ash Wednesday.

Many of the current celebrants of Mardi Gras have no idea that it is closely related to the Christmas season and in many Catholic cultures is known as Carnival Season. On the Christian calendar this is referenced as “ordinary-time” which is the time outside of the Christmas/Advent or Easter/Lent seasons. The official colors; gold to signify power, green representing faith and purple a symbol of justice, have their roots in Catholicism as well.

Mardi Gras, formerly known as Shrove Tuesday, is traditionally the final day for Catholics to indulge before the sober weeks of fasting start with Lent. It comes from the slaughtering and … click HERE to continue reading