Mardi Gras

[TheSeeker2014]

Ok so I was not raised Catholic, nor am I Catholic or any denomination at that currently… but I have wondered about Mardi Gras…
I do not know much about it except for what I have heard… and I have never celebrated it… Honestly, I do not even know if it is strictly a Catholic Celebration/holiday/event.

But from what I heard, it is a celebration or party that is right before the start of Lent. It is an indulgence time before the fasting…
But would not indulgence be the same as gluttony and also a sin?

Like I said, I heard this and honestly do not know anything about it. Even online it says it is an indulgence celebration before fasting and is more of a cultural thing rather than Christian??? It also says it was a replacement of a pagan celebration of some god and they indulged on things (mostly sexual in nature)… however I know there are alot of people who like to pin pagan practices to Catholics.

Is any of this true and what is Mardi Gras really about?

 

[His_helpmeet]

Ok so I was not raised Catholic, nor am I Catholic or any denomination at that currently… but I have wondered about Mardi Gras…
I do not know much about it except for what I have heard… and I have never celebrated it… Honestly, I do not even know if it is strictly a Catholic Celebration/holiday/event.

But from what I heard, it is a celebration or party that is right before the start of Lent. It is an indulgence time before the fasting…
But would not indulgence be the same as gluttony and also a sin?

Like I said, I heard this and honestly do not know anything about it. Even online it says it is an indulgence celebration before fasting and is more of a cultural thing rather than Christian??? It also says it was a replacement of a pagan celebration of some god and they indulged on things (mostly sexual in nature)… however I know there are alot of people who like to pin pagan practices to Catholics.

Is any of this true and what is Mardi Gras really about?

My understanding of Mardi Gras is that it was intended to be a sort of “last hurrah” before Lent came along. Back in the day, people were not permitted to eat ANY meat, eggs, or dairy products during Lent. I believe that on many days they were restricted to only one full meal a day (during additional days apart from Ash Wednesday and Good Friday). Way back when, people did not have refrigeration facilities available. Consequently they had to use up the milk, eggs, and meat before Lent because they would not keep. A great way to do this was to make pancakes - they require both milk and eggs. This is why it’s traditional to eat pancakes on Mardi Gras. The term “Mardi Gras” is French and means “Fat Tuesday”. The idea, I believe, was to get rid of rich foods since the people were not allowed to eat them during Lent. It has also been called Shrove Tuesday, because it was traditional to go to Confession (be “shriven”) before Lent.

You have to realize that there are multiple pagan feast days that occur throughout the year. Consequently, the odds are that there are going to be Christian festivals that occur at those same times. (This is taken from a tract published by Catholic Answers.)

 

[TheSeeker2014]

ok thank you that makes alot more sense
So as of todays time, it is just a party or celebration before fasting?

 

[corsair]

The question has been answered pretty fairly. The only thing I could add is that it has become, largely, a secular excuse to get drunk and raise “cain”.

 

[catholictiger]

Mardis Gras can be celebrated in a very Catholic way and there is a lot of good catholic symbolism in it.

I think what happens is that people get tied up in the drunkenness that is associated with this, the parties on bourbon street with the lust and alcohol. What many people don’t see is the family aspects of this event. I grew up in south Louisiana not New Orleans but Baton Rouge, so I was very much exposed to Mardi Gras. I experienced NOLA mardis gras once in my life, well the overly sinful aspects of it, but being very very young I think I was like 6 or 7, I missed most of the disgusting stuff going on around me, I just wanted to catch beads . But as a kid my neighborhood would have a parade sometimes my family would play music for it. IT was a family friendly event, it brought people together and we had fun.

There are plenty of family friendly parades all throughout New Orleans, Baton Rouge and other Louisiana Cities, you just have to know where to Go.

This is how as a Catholic I see mardi gras, it is a time for family and friends to come together have a good time (lese le bon temps roule) maybe watch a parade or two, enjoy good Canjun food and king cakes. Many parades yes go into the craziness of mardi gras, but there are many good family elements to it as well. It is great fun to set up in a family friendly part of town, next to a parade route, cook a big pot of gumbo, have some beer, eat some king cake and have a good time with friends. Some people may be excessive in their eating or drinking but it is usually good clean fun, as long as you stay away from the french quarter at night.

 

[Allegra]

ok thank you that makes alot more sense
So as of todays time, it is just a party or celebration before fasting?

Mardi Gras isn’t really a religious holiday and is only celebrated in certain regions. It’s really more of a secular, community holiday in the places that it is celebrated. Where I live, it is basically a parade and street festival. We have some events that are family oriented and some that are drunken debauchery. While it was started by Catholics getting their wild oats sown before Lent, it is now celebrated by anyone who wants to have some fun.

 

[truetofaith]

Mardi Gras isn’t really a religious holiday and is only celebrated in certain regions. It’s really more of a secular, community holiday in the places that it is celebrated. Where I live, it is basically a parade and street festival. We have some events that are family oriented and some that are drunken debauchery. While it was started by Catholics getting their wild oats sown before Lent, it is now celebrated by anyone who wants to have some fun.

I’m a Catholic musician and I love the jazz music which I play, but I don’t like to see the drunkenness & overindulgence at Mardi Gras. You can have fun before the fasting on Ash Wed. without committing sin.

 

[Brianmcg321]

Modern Mardi Gras as celebrated in New Orleans has as much to do with Catholicism as current St. Patricks Day Parades.

These holidays have been taken over by the secular society and perverted to the extreme.

 

[captainrick]

Believe me, if you ever go to the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you will be knee deep in sin, gluttony, and lots of drunkenness. It’s one big party, and certainly not just for Catholics!

 

[Bayoubeefmaster]

As a Catholic in Cajun Louisiana I know a few things about Mardi Gras, well at least here. This year for Mardi Gras we began with Mass. Then we had our Courir de Mardi Gras (the parades are for the city folk) which means running of the Mardi Gras. What it is is a bunch of men in costumes and masks and capouchons. They go around getting ingredients on horseback for a community gumbo (thank God for that, it was cold this year). They get onions, bell pepper, flour, rice, and chickens from the neighbors. For fun the people release the chickens for the men to chase and catch. They have a chicken chase for the kids too. It really is a show. They cook the gumbo and after everyone eats there is music and dancing. Of course there is drunkedness so that’s the only bad thing. It’s not really a true religious thing but we incorporate it into our faith here. It is our last party until Easter morning.

 

[DannyBoy_7]

Hello,

I can only answer by saying that no matter what time of year it is nor the event, daily examination of concience is the most vital thing in my relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ. I must try to do my best every day. God Bless You.

 

[janeway529]

As a Catholic in Cajun Louisiana I know a few things about Mardi Gras, well at least here. This year for Mardi Gras we began with Mass. Then we had our Courir de Mardi Gras (the parades are for the city folk) which means running of the Mardi Gras. What it is is a bunch of men in costumes and masks and capouchons. They go around getting ingredients on horseback for a community gumbo (thank God for that, it was cold this year). They get onions, bell pepper, flour, rice, and chickens from the neighbors. For fun the people release the chickens for the men to chase and catch. They have a chicken chase for the kids too. It really is a show. They cook the gumbo and after everyone eats there is music and dancing. Of course there is drunkedness so that’s the only bad thing. It’s not really a true religious thing but we incorporate it into our faith here. It is our last party until Easter morning.

It’s one of the few days of the year I can hear “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

 

[catholictiger]

Believe me, if you ever go to the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you will be knee deep in sin, gluttony, and lots of drunkenness. It’s one big party, and certainly not just for Catholics!

how would you know? No disrespect but Mardi Gras in Nola is not just one big party, there are plenty of parades and you can find places that are safe and not that much sin so to speak. IF you stay away from the worst areas you will be fine. It’s those areas which usually get associated with Mardi Gras.

One more thing, while mardi gras is one day, we here in south louisiana (at-least the big city folks IDK about the people on the bayou) it is a season of mardi gras, it begins after epiphany and goes to the actual day of mardi gras. There are parades every weekend and you can find very family friendly ones. There was a big parade in Baton Rouge the Friday before Mardi Gras that I would always go to, it was in a neighborhood, kinda big one, and people from the neighborhood would design floats and such. There may have been a few house parties where people got really drunk, but you didn’t find much of that, it was designed for kids and families mostly.

Now granted there are some bad parades around including in Baton Rouge, you just have to do some research before going out.

 

[truetofaith]

It’s one of the few days of the year I can hear “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

I have recordings of Louis Armstrong, Louie Prima & Dukes of Dixieland playing, “The Saints” and we also play it and sing it at our prayer group.

Get it off youtube and you can listen whenever you want!

 

[captainrick]

how would you know? No disrespect but Mardi Gras in Nola is not just one big party, there are plenty of parades and you can find places that are safe and not that much sin so to speak. IF you stay away from the worst areas you will be fine. It’s those areas which usually get associated with Mardi Gras.

One more thing, while mardi gras is one day, we here in south louisiana (at-least the big city folks IDK about the people on the bayou) it is a season of mardi gras, it begins after epiphany and goes to the actual day of mardi gras. There are parades every weekend and you can find very family friendly ones. There was a big parade in Baton Rouge the Friday before Mardi Gras that I would always go to, it was in a neighborhood, kinda big one, and people from the neighborhood would design floats and such. There may have been a few house parties where people got really drunk, but you didn’t find much of that, it was designed for kids and families mostly.

Now granted there are some bad parades around including in Baton Rouge, you just have to do some research before going out.

Of course, you’re absolutely right, a very good summary! But I think most tourists tend to head for the “worst areas” which you mentioned - I know I did when I was a lot younger! . Oh, and how do I know? I lived on the Gulf, and my son lives in Nola.

 

[dixieagle]

The question has been answered pretty fairly. The only thing I could add is that it has become, largely, a secular excuse to get drunk and raise “cain”.

The “raising cain” part is quite true. Mobile, AL, where we’ve lived for decades, is the home of Mardi Gras in the US; it migrated later to Louisiana. The man credited with resurrecting Mardi Gras celebrations after the Civil War was Joe Cain. On the Sunday before Mardi Gras (which is celebrated over several weeks here, with parades and balls) there is a Joe Cain procession with various groups of folks walking, flatbed trucks, homemade floats, bands, etc. It’s a sort of “people’s procession”, differing from the more organized Mardi Gras parades with their elaborate floats.

encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2923

 

[Bruised_Reed]

how would you know? No disrespect but Mardi Gras in Nola is not just one big party, there are plenty of parades and you can find places that are safe and not that much sin so to speak. IF you stay away from the worst areas you will be fine. It’s those areas which usually get associated with Mardi Gras.

One more thing, while mardi gras is one day, we here in south louisiana (at-least the big city folks IDK about the people on the bayou) it is a season of mardi gras, it begins after epiphany and goes to the actual day of mardi gras. There are parades every weekend and you can find very family friendly ones. There was a big parade in Baton Rouge the Friday before Mardi Gras that I would always go to, it was in a neighborhood, kinda big one, and people from the neighborhood would design floats and such. There may have been a few house parties where people got really drunk, but you didn’t find much of that, it was designed for kids and families mostly.

Now granted there are some bad parades around including in Baton Rouge, you just have to do some research before going out.

Yup. And it’s like a ghost town on Ash Wednesday. A lot of shops are closed and the mood is almost reverent.

 

[catholictiger]

The “raising cain” part is quite true. Mobile, AL, where we’ve lived for decades, is the home of Mardi Gras in the US; it migrated later to Louisiana. The man credited with resurrecting Mardi Gras celebrations after the Civil War was Joe Cain. On the Sunday before Mardi Gras (which is celebrated over several weeks here, with parades and balls) there is a Joe Cain procession with various groups of folks walking, flatbed trucks, homemade floats, bands, etc. It’s a sort of “people’s procession”, differing from the more organized Mardi Gras parades with their elaborate floats.

encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2923

oh this fun debate

got an article other than from an Alabama website?

but in all seriousness it doesn’t really matter where it started, we all know that New Orleans has the better party.

 

[truetofaith]

I will have to leave the Catholic Answers Forums because of the endless discussions that only result in more confusion than enlightenment.

I feel this website is causing me to commit the sin of anger and is also weakening my faith instead of strengthening it! :sad_bye:

 

[dixieagle]

oh this fun debate

got an article other than from an Alabama website?

but in all seriousness it doesn’t really matter where it started, we all know that New Orleans has the better party.

As a matter of fact, I do: cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/02/16/fact.check.mardi.gras/

Been to both, and New Orleans at Mardi Gras scares me. Ours is wonderful fun, but more family friendly. We used to go to as many as seven Mardi Gras balls a season, but one is plenty now. The Mystics of Time has the best parade here, the Saturday night prior to Fat Tuesday.