Gallery
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Surprisingly, Mardi Gras long predates Christianity. The earlier record of the even comes from ancient times when tribes celebrated a fertility festival that welcomed the arrival of spring and a a 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. Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. It's most famously celebrated with parades in New Orleans That’s because Christian Mardi Gras is the final day before Lent begins. Lent is a period of 40 weekdays that, in the Christian Church, devoted to fasting, abstinence and penitence. The traditional purpose of Lent is to prepare believers for the annual commemoration of how Jesus gave up his life for his followers, and the miracle that was His The celebration of Mardi Gras fosters the notion that you can do whatever you want on Fat Tuesday, as long as you show up in church on Ash Wednesday. It’s the bender before the benediction, and it’s utterly unscriptural. Fat Tuesday / Mardi Gras Calendar: 2024 — February 13 2025 — March 4 ORIGIN OF MARDI GRAS. The History Channel’s website (www.history.com) has the following opening remarks about Mardi Gras: “A Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon, Mardi Gras dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival, it is celebrated in many countries around the world–mainly 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. The history of Mardi Gras is a long and complex one, with roots that date back to ancient times. Many historians believe that the festival has its origins in pagan celebrations of spring, which often involved fertility rites and other forms of revelry. Mardi Gras (UK: / ˌ m ɑːr d i ˈ ɡ r ɑː /, US: / ˈ m ɑːr d i ɡ r ɑː /; [1] [2] also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. [3] In Christian cultures, Mardi Gras, also known as Carnival and Shrove Tuesday, is the last day before the beginning of Lent, a period of fasting and repentance leading up to Easter. The date of Mardi Gras is 41 days before Easter Sunday, whose date varies from year to year. It is followed by Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins. At the heart of it, Mardi Gras is also a Christian holiday traced to pagan spring and fertility rites dating back thousands of years that has become a popular cultural phenomenon worldwide. And although Mardi Gras is today most closely associated with New Orleans, Louisiana, it is observed in hundreds of cities in more than fifty countries. Mardi Gras became an “official” Christian holiday in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII instituted the namesake Gregorian calendar still in use today. By recognizing Mardi Gras as an overture to Lent, the idea was for all the partying and foolery to be over with when it came time to observe the requisite austerities. Fat Tuesday, also known as ‘Mardi Gras,’ is a French celebration. Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the Christian Lent season, is observed on this day.Many Christians fast during Lent, which is known as Fat Tuesday, and the date is typically the last day of eating richer foods before the start of Lent. Mardi Gras is a festive day celebrated in France on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. The French name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent. The Christian church played a significant role in shaping the early history of Mardi Gras. In the 5th century, the Catholic Church introduced the concept of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and abstinence from meat, wine, and other luxuries . Christianity’s adoption of Mardi Gras is a complex and multifaceted process that took place over many centuries. The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced back to ancient Roman pagan festivals, characterized by lavish feasting and wild revelry. The Origins of Mardi Gras. The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced back to ancient Roman festivals, particularly the pagan celebrations of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. These festivals, held in midwinter, were marked by feasting, drinking, and a general sense of chaos and social reversal, during which societal rules were temporarily relaxed. As The Not-So-Sweet History Behind The Mardi Gras Treat It wouldn't be Mardi Gras without one. By Justine Sterling and Ayana Herndon Published: Feb 25, 2025 1:29 PM EST The indulgence and revelry associated with Mardi Gras are contrary to the biblical call to holiness, self-control, and a consistent, godly lifestyle. While neither Mardi Gras nor Lent is commanded in the Bible, the origins of these traditions in pre-Christian, pagan customs further call into question their appropriateness for believers. Brian Costello, author of Carnival in Louisiana: Celebrating Mardi Gras from the French Quarter to the Red River, writes, "The Carnival season and Mardi Gras day trace their roots from the Bacchanalia and Saturnalia ritual promiscuity of Roman times. With the spread of Christianity, similar revelry occurred during the period of carnival (Latin
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |