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Mardi
Gras more than a party Wednesday morning, when Mardi Gras is over and the tourists are packing up to go home, many Catholics in New Orleans are getting ready to attend mass to celebrate Ash Wednesday and begin Lent. Mardi Gras, which means “Fat Tuesday” in French, began in the Middle Ages as a time to celebrate before the beginning of Lent, which is a period of purification and repentance. The festivities are traditionally called Carnival, said Nadia Lahutsky, a religion professor. The big day is actually a month of parties and parades. The last day is Mardi Gras, when Catholics are expected to eat all meat products, including butter, milk, eggs and lard, giving Fat Tuesday its meaning, said Lahutsky. This practice makes for a lot of food that must be eaten before midnight, which marks the beginning of Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. “If you’re getting ready for a long period of abstinence you want to have a big blowout,” Lahutsky said. Lahutsky also said the consumption of beer and wine was not just to have a good time during the Middle Ages. “Drinking water was unsafe, especially in urban areas, so the people drank alcohol instead,” she said. Over time, the religious and social meanings behind the Mardi Gras tradition have gotten lost for visitors to New Orleans and those outside the Catholic faith, said Brooks Zitzmann, a junior nursing and biology major from the Big Easy. Now tourists come to the city mostly to experience French culture and have a good time. “Tourists are the crazy people who are there to party,” Zitzmann said. However, the religious significance of Mardi Gras is still discussed in the Catholic church, she said. “Every year, there are people handing out fliers and pictures of Jesus on the streets,” Zitzmann said. “It’s kind of depressing to see those handouts getting stepped on in the street.” Lahutsky said tourists do not realize the meaning of Mardi Gras because they are waking up and getting out of town while the Catholic community attends Ash Wednesday Mass. Father Charles Calabrese of TCU Catholic Community explained that Lent is also a time to teach new members about the Catholic faith. Ash Wednesday is a time to begin thinking about repentance, Calabrese said. Lahutsky said Lent is also a time of fasting. During the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, Catholics abstain from eating several types of food, as well as cooking with fat products, Lahutsky said. “Catholics may also only eat one meal a day during Lent,” Lahutsky said. Zitzmann said visitors and tourists who come to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras should try to remember that there is a religious purpose behind the parties, parades and general merrymaking. “New Orleans has capitalized on Mardi Gras, making it nothing but one big, month-long party,” Zitzmann said. Meredith
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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
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