Mardi Gras??

[CeeBee]

My mom asked me what Mardi Gras is. I told her it is the day before Lent starts (right???) and when we PAR-TAY!!! and do the thing we're gonna give up and then I told her I was just kidding and I am not sure and I am not sure can y'all help me please? My dad went on to say that it isn't Christian but anti-Christian... Ia mr eally not sure, looking for help.

 

[black_rain]

From what I know about Mardi Gras, your dad is right. And, unfortunately, you described it fairly well. I don't really know what the origin is, except that it was a french celebration, but what we know of it, really is what it is today.

 

[Rising_Suns]

If it wasn't for the great mercy of Christ, I don't think it would be unreasonable to speculate that New Orleans would find the same fate that Sodom and Gomorrah saw.

Thank God for His abundant mercy for us lowly sinnners.

-Davide

 

[Spence06]

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/MardiGras/default.asp

Gives a good and brief article on it.

 

[RobNJ]

From what I've heard... the original intent was to use up all the sweet & rich ingredients you were going to be abstaining from... so they wouldn't be around the house to tempt you during Lent (chocolate, for example) Now...as for what goes on in New Orleans...

 

[CeeBee]

Thanks y'all. And yes, New Orleans is horrible... (no offense Shelb5 and others, lol) I live north of Lake Ponchatrain(sp??!!) but many people from school go there, the ahem, bad kids so to speak. I hope my brother doesn't try to go down there, he is turning eighteen in a few weeks and calls himself a Christian but is LIBERAL as it gets.

 

[Epiphanygirl]

Rio does the same thing, it has turned into a celebration of debauchery.

 

[Benedicta00]

My mom asked me what Mardi Gras is. I told her it is the day before Lent starts (right???) and when we PAR-TAY!!! and do the thing we're gonna give up and then I told her I was just kidding and I am not sure and I am not sure can y'all help me please? My dad went on to say that it isn't Christian but anti-Christian... Ia mr eally not sure, looking for help.

As long as you stay out the French Quarter Mardi Gras can be and still is a family event. The parades are staring in the next week or so I think and some of the parades routs in the city now days are dangerous and people are just violent now but the story behind Mardi Gras is a good one and not bad. It is what some people make of it now and excuse to act up, but Mardi Gras in of itself is not wrong. My parish will have all day prayer reparation for the sin committed on this day ending with a Mass at midnight.

I personally don't like parades that much and I will not go out on Mardi Gras day unless the weather is nice. Lent coming early this year makes that ify. But it isn’t a sin to go to parades at all. The Baptist and the fundie types protest and say we are worshipping false gods on the floats and that it is a pagan ritual and they will gather around and try to save your sole on the parade route. I remember one Spanish lady I new loved the parades but her church forbade her to go. I know another non denominational close family friend who thinks it is sin now and he went all his life, now that he is involved with this church, its all of a sudden a sin. These people need to get a life. The ones who protest Mardi Gras are those who hate Catholics.

Here is the story of Mardi Gras and the story of the King cake- it's not a bad thing.

King Cake:
Epiphany, celebrated in European countries, marks the coming of the wise men who brought gifts to the Christ Child. Epiphany is also called Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night, and is celebrated twelve nights after Christmas. People from all of the world celebrate Epiphany by exchanging gifts and feasting. A very popular custom that is still celebrated is the making of the "King's Cake" which represents the three kings who brought gifts. A plastic baby is baked inside the King Cake, and the tradition is whoever receives the baby in their piece of cake must buy the next King Cake or throw the next party. King Cakes are made of a cinnamon filled dough in the shape of a hollow circle. The cake is topped with a delicious glazed topping and then sprinkled with colored sugar. The three colors of the sugar are Purple (representing Justice), Green (representing Faith) and Gold (representing Power). Today the King Cakes are baked with a wide assortment of fillings inside the cake. King Cake is the preferred dessert and snack in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Hundreds of thousands of King Cakes are eaten in New Orleans during the Carnival season. Many are shipped throughout the U.S. for those displaced New Orleanians longing for a taste of Mardi Gras. In fact, a Mardi Gras party wouldn't be a Mardi Gras party without a King Cake.

The History of Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras came to New Orleans through its French heritage in 1699. Early explorers celebrated this French Holiday on the banks of the Mississippi River. Throughout the years, Orleanians have added to the celebration by establishing krewes (organizations) which host parades and balls. Carnival quickly became an exciting holiday for both children and adults.
Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" and of course is celebrated on that day of the week. The date can fall between February 3 and March 9 depending on the Lunar calendar, used by the Catholic Church to determine the date of Easter. Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter Sunday.

The official colors for Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. These colors were chosen in 1872 by the King of Carnival, Rex. He chose these colors to stand for the following: Purple represents justice, green stands for faith, gold stands for power.

The Mardi Gras season begins on January 6 and continues until Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. On the Christian calendar, the twelfth day after Christmas is known as "Epiphany", "Twelfth Night", or "Kings Day." It is the day the gift-bearing Magi visited the baby Jesus, and is celebrated with its own unique rituals.

 

[Benedicta00]

Sorry, double post.

If anyone want a King Cake shipped to them, let me know.

 

[Ann M]

Now...as for what goes on in New Orleans...

If only our Mardi Gras DID resemble what you have over there in New Orleans.

Instead we have the "Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras", and i can assure you that it just isn't the same

 

[Cajun Huguenot]

My mom asked me what Mardi Gras is. I told her it is the day before Lent starts (right???) and when we PAR-TAY!!! and do the thing we're gonna give up and then I told her I was just kidding and I am not sure and I am not sure can y'all help me please? My dad went on to say that it isn't Christian but anti-Christian... Ia mr eally not sure, looking for help.

Mardi Gras is also called Fat Tuesday (English version) it is the day before Ash Wednesday. It is a big deal down here in South Louisiana, colleges and public schools close for the celebration. We have parties/balls (Starting last weekend) until Mardi Gras.

As the Cajun's say:
Laissez les bons temps rouler!(Let the good times roll!)


Dominus Vobiscum.
Kenith

 

[Cajun Huguenot]

I agree with y'all on New Orleans (Nawlins).

I would not go there for Mardi Gras for all the money in the world. There are many other places in the state to celebrate.

Kenith

 

[ukok]

If only our Mardi Gras DID resemble what you have over there in New Orleans.

Instead we have the "Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras", and i can assure you that it just isn't the same

We are too far away from London and Birmingham to endure the spin off Mardi Gras over here, but we do have Gay Pride Parades from time to time....what pride there is in parading ones homosexuality i do not know, other than mis-placed....anyway, it's a sin to be prideful.

God Bless.

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

Sorry, double post.

If anyone want a King Cake shipped to them, let me know.

King CAke
/me wonders if he should give into the temptation

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

We are too far away from London and Birmingham to endure the spin off Mardi Gras over here, but we do have Gay Pride Parades from time to time....what pride there is in parading ones homosexuality i do not know, other than mis-placed....anyway, it's a sin to be prideful.

God Bless.

Back to the topic at hand KING CAKE!!!!!!!

 

[Benedicta00]

I agree with y'all on New Orleans (Nawlins).

I would not go there for Mardi Gras for all the money in the world. There are many other places in the state to celebrate.

Kenith

Oh come on, it’s only bad in the French Quarter. You can enjoy Mardi Gras up town or in Metarie. You shouldn’t let a sick few ruin the entire thing. And no one celebrates like New Orleans; it just isn’t the same anywhere else.

It isn’t the locals either who ruin Mardi Gras, it is the tourist, the collage kids who hear this hype and think we act this way all the time, we do not- they do, they come here drink way too much do things they would never do ordinarily and think this is what you are supposed to do, and it isn’t, it is what they choose to do.

The cops in New Orleans will put people in jail for indecency and drunkenness and do but the crowds are beyond them and they can only do so much. They tend to focus on the more violent situations because there are ony so many cops to go around.

 

[Benedicta00]

If only our Mardi Gras DID resemble what you have over there in New Orleans.

Instead we have the "Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras", and i can assure you that it just isn't the same

At Mardi Gras the homosexuals aren’t the problem really, in fact they have these costumes which are really magnificent to see, they tend to behave on Mardi Gras, it is the young collage tourist who are giving us a bad rap here.

But sadly we have decadence day and it is a separate a different “celebration” than Mardi Gras and it’s only in the Quarter.

A few yeas ago there was a Baptist preacher who took his complaint to the city council to shut this down and the archdiocese wanted to help, wanted to get involved with shutting this down because much of what they do is illegal beside being immoral and the Baptist minister said on the news that he wanted nothing to do with the Catholic Church. Said if they wanted to take up a cause, it would not be in association with what his was doing. How anti Catholic is that??

 

[Benedicta00]

Back to the topic at hand KING CAKE!!!!!!!

You want a King Cake, Aaron?