Why Mardi Gras is Celebrated
Why is Mardi Gras celebrated today? Mardi Gras is steeped in history and tradition. While Christians today may denounce the holiday as pagan and sinful, it is actually a custom that has deep religious roots.
Some of the earliest roots of Mardi Gras are found with the Ancient Romans. The celebration of Mardi Gras was a way to celebrate the various Gods that were believed in at that time period. It honored the Gods and was a way of celebrating their religious beliefs and gratitude. While the belief of other Gods is pagan, this holiday evolved to encompass early Christianity as well.
When early Christianity arrived in Rome, there became a dilemma of how to blend Christianity with the current beliefs of the city. It was decided to incorporate some of the current celebrations into the new facets that were appearing such as Lent. Lent is commonly a period of fasting in Christian cultures. Mardi Gras was offered before Lent as a way for the people to feast to their content before they would be expected to fast in prayer.
These are all the stems of Mardi Gras roots that began in Europe. Even the king cake bears a similarity to European traditions of cakes that contained hidden surprises. When Europeans began to settle in America, the French had a great hold in the city of New Orleans. When they traveled to New Orleans they brought with them various cultural roots. While there is some debate over who brought the Mardi Gras celebration to the states, there is no doubt that it's history began in Europe.
Fat Tuesday is the nickname of Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday was named this because it falls before Ash Wednesday when the period of fasting would began. The nickname of Mardi Gras is a pagan nickname. This name derives and stems from pagan rituals of parading an ox throughout the city streets. The drinking and rowdy nature of Mardi Gras was also brought about by traditional Pagan rituals of celebration before they would fast.
Today Mardi Gras is still celebrated. Mardi Gras offers participants a way to partake in a festivity that is rich in culture and traditions. Though it is deemed as sinful by Christians today, one can not deny the part that Christianity played in the forming of this holiday. However, pagan rituals also became inter mingled into the celebration. Much of the current festivities such as the parade came into play long after the holiday had been established and celebrated for centuries.
Few can deny the appeal this holiday has upon the younger adult crowds. Offering a chance to have unleashed fun, gorge themselves on delicious food and drink, and revel in the streets dancing. While parts of the celebration are not as innocent as they once were, there is a sense of happiness and joy found in the air during the Mardi Gras festivities. Shortly after this holiday ends, most will be preparing to enter a season of Lent even in today's times. Lent will give people a chance for deep reflections and inner thoughts as Easter will be appearing next on the calendar. Mardi Gras while offering no deep significance perhaps, is needed in the holiday calendar as simply a way to enjoy who we are. A simple holiday of celebration may just be what humankind needs between the celebration of Jesus' birth and then crucifixion.
