If you were visiting New Orleans these days, chances are you’d hear the phrase laissez les bons temps rouler! Or, as we say in English, let the good times roll! Mardi Gras in New Orleans is famous around the world for wild costumes, energetic and elaborate parades, parties and dancing in the streets. Good times do indeed ‘roll!!’ Unfortunately in recent years, it has evolved from a happy celebration into a sometimes dangerous event, famous for excessive drinking and lewd behavior.
So, you might ask, why a church Mardi Gras? Why a St. Paul’s Mardi Gras? And the answer is . . . well, because it is fun! And it is a reminder that Mardi Gras finds its source in a liturgical celebration with the same roots as the more sedate Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. Our UMW has celebrated Shrove Tuesday for many years! Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday. It is actually the final day of the Season of Epiphany which started this year on January 8th and ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, known as Mardi Gras. It is a time of fun and feasting before the penitential season of Lent. The words ‘mardi gras’ mean 'Fat Tuesday' and refers to the fact that during Lent, it was traditional to abstain from meat, fat and dairy products. The feasting of Fat Tuesday was an opportunity to use up all these items. (Thus, the custom of making pancakes – using up the eggs and lard that wouldn’t be needed during Lent.)
Over time, Mardi Gras became a flashier celebration, complete with parades, music (dixieland jazz), and special Mardi Gras beads. The official colors for New Orleans' Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. You see these reflected in the beads we wear today. These colors where chosen in 1872 by the King of Carnival, Rex. He chose these colors to stand for the following:
- Purple represents the justice of God
- Green stands for our faith
- Gold stands for God's power
Today’s celebration is quite simply an enjoyable way to get ready to enter the more reflective, thoughtful season of Lent. Our relationship with God is serious business, of course, but it is also meant to bring us joy and a bit of laughter. So, as we see Lent on the horizon, enjoy this day. Wear your beads, sing with joy and, well, laissez les bons temps rouler!
Blessings,
Marianne
