Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday. These were unfamiliar terms to me growing up as a Baptist. We didn’t celebrate the seasons of the church year, except Christmas and Easter. While in college, I was introduced to Advent, and, in 1995 while serving in a church on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I was introduced to the season of Lent and Mardi Gras. But, it would be years later before I really understood what Mardi Gras was all about.
My first exposure to Mardi Gras occurred in 1995. It was the Friday before Fat Tuesday, and I was flying from North Carolina to New Orleans on a low-budget airline. Many people on board began their parties early. There was drinking, yelling, and celebrating. The stewardesses started a toilet paper unrolling from the front of the plane to the rear of the plane where I was sitting. The object was to unroll the toilet paper without breaking the paper.
By the time we arrived, many people were well-prepared for the weekend activities in New Orleans. Bead-throwing, mask wearing, parade-going, and over-indulgences are all familiar characteristics of this celebration. This is what I thought Mardi Gras was about. I wondered if there were more to it. As it was not my thing, I let it go.
While living in Biloxi, I bought my first King Cake. A King Cake is a bread-like cake covered in sugar and frosting with a small bean or baby inside the filling. I loved it then, and I still love King Cakes today. But, why do they put a plastic baby in the cake? And, what does this have to do with Mardi Gras?
I began doing research on the meaning of Mardi Gras. I found that it had beginnings in early Roman festivals dealing with fertility and spring harvest. Later, as Rome became Christianized and the church established itself throughout the empire, the pagan festivities were replaced with Christian ideas and symbols. The early church would blend the pagan traditions with the newer religious beliefs. This was a common practice in the early church, and it helped people transition out of paganism.
The word carnevale comes from the Latin word carnem levare, meaning “to take away the meat.” The word we know as carnival includes festivals occurring between Epiphany on January 6 and Fat Tuesday. This is also called the Shrovetide season which began in the 600s A. D. To be shriven means to receive absolution for one’s sins. It is a time of confession and penance. The French word Mardi Gras, means “Fat Tuesday.”
Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday was a time when households would use up their eggs, milk, sugar, butter, and fat. The early church called people to abstain from these foods during Lent, the 40-day period before Easter. To keep these foods from being wasted, many families would have carnivals and consume these items on Shrove Tuesday.
Today, many people around the world celebrate Fat Tuesday with community parades, Mardi Gras balls, eating certain foods, and wearing colorful costumes. This event has turned into a time of revelry and is void of many of its religious meanings. In a way, it has returned to its pagan roots from the early Roman Empire.
Celebrating and eating is something good to do and enjoying time with friends and family helps us remain close and builds bonds. In Sweden they celebrate by eating Semla, cream filled buns; in Poland they have doughnuts; in Britain they eat pancakes; and in America we eat beignets and King Cakes.
King Cakes came about in France during the Middle Ages as they celebrated the coming of the Wise Men to see the Christ child. These cakes usually contained a small trinket or bean to represent the baby Jesus. The one who got the trinket or bean got to be king for a day. Today, King Cakes include a plastic baby representing the King of kings, and they are eaten between Epiphany on January 6 and Fat Tuesday.
For the Church, Fat Tuesday signals the coming of a time of repentance, growing closer to God, and reflecting on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for all people.
As the celebrations of Fat Tuesday wind down, the call to repentance and examination lead us to Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is a holy service of song, scripture reading, a short sermon, and the Imposition of Ashes. Each year, the ashes are burned from palm branches used by congregations to celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem the year before.
At the end of the Ash Wednesday service, ashes are placed on the foreheads of believers. The ashes are made in the shape of a cross and the leader will usually say, “Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust, from dust we are born and to dust we shall return.” This reminds us that we are sinners and that we are in bondage to sin and death. The sign of the Cross reminds us that there is hope for sinners. Throughout the Old Testament, people would often spread ashes over their bodies and clothes to signify repentance.
I remember taking part in the Imposition of Ashes at a church where I used to minister. It was such a humbling experience to place the ashes on people of all ages. To bend down and mark the foreheads of children and youth held a special place in my heart. I often wondered why these children needed to repent. What could they have done at such a young age?
I realized that people of all ages are in bondage to sin and death without knowing their Savior, Jesus Christ. Our nature is to sin like our ancestors, Adam and Eve. It is only through our belief in Jesus Christ that we find hope and forgiveness. The ashes are a symbol of our need of a Savior. Without Christ, our sin nature will keep us in bondage.
Lent was and is a time to reflect on the 40 days Christ was in the desert fasting and praying. It was also the time when Christ faced the temptations of the evil one. Christians today use this season of Lent to fast and pray and begin a time of self examination. Many will give up something like a type of food, TV, cell phones, or some habits they enjoy, such as social media or drinking coffee or Diet Coke. Many people add in something like reading through the New Testament, helping strangers, or slowing down. This time of introspection allows us to seek spiritual growth. It’s a time to renew our commitment to the promises God made to us by sending his Son Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for our sins. It’s a time to reposition our focus on loving God and loving our neighbor.
During this 40-day journey we keep our hearts and minds centered on the coming of Easter when Christ was resurrected from the dead. It was common in early Christianity for new converts to use this time to learn about the faith as they made their commitments to Christ. On Easter Sunday, these new converts would celebrate by being baptized.
Are these things requirements of our faith? No. In fact, like any spiritual discipline, they can provide a way for us to grow closer to Christ and guide us into a stronger faith.
Enjoy the gifts God gives us daily. Meals together, celebrations, family, and community are parts of these gifts. What are you giving up for Lent this year? What are you adding as a spiritual discipline? As you celebrate this season of Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and Lent, may God give you the assurance of His Love and grace. May God bless each of you as you enjoy Mardi Gras and prepare for the Lenten season. And, may your faith be strengthened as you grow closer to God during these 40 days of Lent. Happy Mardi Gras!