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Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival or Carnaval, it’s celebrated in Mardi Gras is a secular celebration that traces its origins to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility rite dedicated to Faunus. Learn how Mardi Gras became a popular cultural phenomenon in New Orleans and other cities around the world. Mardi Gras, a bit like Easter and Christmas, is disputed in its Christian origins. Like there are “pagan” elements to both Christmas (Christmas trees) and Easter (the Easter bunny), Mardi Gras can most directly trace its roots to pagan celebrations of spring time and fertility. So, while Mardi Gras may have started as a pagan festival, it has since been Christianized and become a holiday that is enjoyed by people of all faiths. “Mardi Gras” is a French word that means “Fat Tuesday.” Fat Tuesday was a time of celebration and extravagant consumption of rich foods such as meat or pancakes. Mardi Gras’ Customs Are Tied to Pagan Traditions That Are Thousands of Years Old Many Mardi Gras traditions can be traced back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, including the Roman festivals of Saturnalia (in honor of Saturn god of wealth, abundance, and agriculture) and Lupercalia (a day to promote fertility 2. Mardi Gras may or may not have pagan roots. A popular theory holds that Mardi Gras’ origins lie in ancient pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, such as Saturnalia and Lupercalia. Some Why is Mardi Gras celebrated? Mardi Gras is celebrated in many countries around the world, though mainly in places with large Roman Catholic populations. It's believed that Mardi Gras emerged from the wild ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. These pagan celebrations involved days of feasting, masquerading, dancing, and drinking. But Mardi Gras history actually extends all the way back to the days before Christianity in Ancient Rome, and has roots in pagan spring festivals. As with most other holidays with a deep heritage, the traditions and customs of Mardi Gras evolved as it moved through countries, continents, and centuries and became the raucous, joy-filled As with many Christian holidays, the celebrations of Carnival and Mardi Gras were probably adapted in some way from pagan festivals. It may be rooted in a primitive festival celebrating the rebirth of nature; in Italy, it may be linked to the pagan Saturnalian festival of ancient Rome.[#1782] Mardi Gras Celebrations and Customs Mardi Gras is not just a singular event but rather a tapestry of diverse cultural influences. In New Orleans, the festival showcases a unique blend of French, Spanish, African, and Creole traditions. Spring time pagan celebrations are the root of the modern day Mardi Gras. Ancient Greek and Roman festivals involved sacrifice, drunkenness, lewdness, immoral sex and revelry. In the parade of the pagans, false gods are worshiped by exalting an image above the assembly. Mardi Gras dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. The name "Mardi Gras" is French for "Fat Tuesday," reflecting the practice of eating rich, fatty foods before the fasting season of Lent. There is no pinpointing the origins of the celebration known today as Carnival or Mardi Gras. Indeed, because its most elemental characteristics — drinking and feasting, dancing and music, masks and costumes — extend back into the mists of time, there’s no tidy way to connect the dots between prehistoric cave paintings of dancing stick-like figures wearing animal masks and the modern pre Experts trace the roots of Mardi Gras back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of the coming of spring, such as the ancient Roman festival called Saturnalia. When Christianity arose, early church leaders incorporated these local traditions. Residents of New Orleans have been celebrating Mardi Gras since the 18th century" ("Mardi Gras," Encarta). Mardi Gras "is a lively, colorful [not to mention bawdy and debased] celebration held on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins," says the World Book Encyclopedia. TWH – Mardi Gras, with its pageantry and Bacchanalian celebrations, feels like it should have a Pagan origin. While some Pagans have argued that it does, another source exists for this belief. Evangelic Protestants have “accused” Catholics of tolerating Pagan elements for about 600 years. It is generally believed that Mardi Gras evolved from pagan festivals celebrated throughout the Roman Empire. Feted at the end of December, Saturnalia was an upbeat, party-like celebration where social norms were set aside. The pagan festivals in Rome that are the roots of Mardi Gras were steeped in fornication and sexual perversion fueled by alcohol – lots of alcohol. These festivals were a no holds barred, no rules time for the participants to engage in all the pleasures of the flesh that they normally refrained from. According to historians, the celebration of Mardi Gras has its roots in the pagan Roman celebration of Lupercalia. This was a February holiday and it honored the Roman god of fertility. It involved feasting, drinking, and carnal behavior. With Mardi Gras just around the corner I thought I'd share an excerpt from my first published book, Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations.You see, I lived the first thirty years of my life in New Orleans without a clue about the Pagan and Goddess roots of Mardi Gras.
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