Why do people go crazy for Carnival and basically do anything possible before Lent? It never really made sense to me, because at least for me, it seems better to take everything in moderation than to have everything on one or a few days and then delve into more severe austerities.
Any help clarifying the significance of holding Carnival/Mardi Gras before Lent would be greatly appreciated.
2007-02-19 15:44:33 · 6 answers · asked by lotusmoon01 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Mardi Gras -- Fat Tuesday -- is a mish-mash of various cultures all rolled into one huge party that is still evolving every year.
The original intent is to get rid of all the "fat" stuff - leavening - in the home before Lent. If there was a lot left, you had a party to use it rather than throw it away. You couldn't just pack it away because it would go bad during the 40 days of fasting of Lent -- and be a temptation as well.
Mardi Gras involves the cultures of the French, the Cajuns, the Native Americans, the blacks of the South and a few others -- maybe Spanish. People began wearing costumes to make fun of those who were oppressing them without getting into trouble for it.
For more information, read up on it.
2007-02-19 16:07:35 · answer #1 · answered by The Carmelite 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Looking at it historically, Lent, the season of fasting and prayer, has always been preceeded by a blowout of some kind---when these traditions got started in the Middle Ages in Europe, there were several regular yearly occasions for public unwinding: the Feast of Fools, the Boy Pope, etc, in which the clergy was lampooned, and everyone partied--the clergy, knowing the value of a psychological purge now and again, went along---considering medieval food preparation and storage, it makes very good sense to use up any fresh food lying around before you start to fast--and if you live on beer and wine, like so much of Europe did, it also makes sense to use it, rather than waste it or have it go bad---the name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, ie, the last chance to eat before you go on what was essentially a bare minimum diet---it's not a philosophical or moral issue, it's simple human psychology and practicality---the traditions have carried on through the years, and though the practical considerations are no longer valid, the psychological ones still are---and let's face it, Mardi Gras isn't a world-wide celebration, it's not even a nation-wide or region-wide celebration.
If the whole Christian world went on a wild, sin-filled, debauch just before Lent, it might be a cause for concern---as it stands, it's just a whoop-up for the sake of having a very large party.
2007-02-20 00:18:07 · answer #2 · answered by Palmerpath 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The reason mardi gras is held right before lent is because, literally, Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French, But I'm sure you knew that. It is the day you eat and drink any thing you give up for lent. Lent lasts 6 weeks, so, if you give up chocolate, its the last chance you get before it. If you are a Catholic, then you already know what Lent is, but if your not, here it is:
Lent is the time of remembrance of Jesus's 40 days in the desert, where he fasted and prayed before coming into Jerusalem to be crucified on the cross.
Really, people shouldn't go crazy right before Lent, since it is a Catholic season, but who are we to argue with tradition.
2007-02-20 00:07:30 · answer #3 · answered by Fish 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's the secular response to the religious holiday. Christmas, for instance, as a religious observance was never intended to be a period of extravagant expenditures and heavy drinking. That's the secular observation within some cultures. For instance, in many European communities, the night before Christmas is celebrated as a vigil, meaning in silent prayer and devotion.
You can wiki the Mardi Gras/Carnivale connection. It has its own history, but other than the timing has nothing to do with Ash Wednesday or Lent.
In Christ,
V17
2007-02-21 15:43:32 · answer #4 · answered by Veritatum17 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lent is typically "celebrated" by the faithful, by sacrificing a worldly pleasure. These giant parties are just a way to live it up before that sacrifice...
2007-02-20 00:04:52 · answer #5 · answered by Bill K Atheist Goodfella 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in the book[the Battle for Christmas] by Stephen nissenbaum..
.he mentions that Christmas use to be a roughly Holiday all so,,,,,the season of misrule....the world of carnival,,,the lord of misrule....were good Christians us to get drunk on there buts and have wild sex in the street. i realize this was Christmas, but the same applyes
very good book , and discovery channel video. a in depth discussion on the origins of this debauchery.
ISBN-O-679-41223-9
1997 vintage books,a division of random house inc.
2007-02-20 02:02:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋