Fat Tuesday
Mardi Gras literally means "Fat Tuesday" in French. The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting upon a fattened calf on the last day of Carnival. The is also known as Shrove Tuesday (from "to shrive" or hear confessions), Pancake Tuesday and fetter Dienstag. The custom of making pancakes comes from the need to use up fat, eggs and dairy before the fasting and abstinence of Lent begins.
When I was at home with my parents we always had pancakes on what we called Shrove Tuesday. Not being Roman Catholic, I had no idea that Shrove had anything to do with confession. I do remember hearing about a place, I think in England, where the women of the town had a race on Pancake Day. They raced holding a skillet with a pancake on it and kept flipping them while they ran. Jeff made his special pancakes for us this morning. They tasted SO good!
With all the converation about Mardi Gras in New Orleans I went online to find out a little more history of the celebration. It has a long history. As early as the second century the Romans observed a Fast of 40 Days, which was preceded by a brief season of fasting, costumes and merrymaking.
Carnival comes from the Latin words carne vale, meaning "farewell to the flesh". The Carnival season kicks off with Epiphany (January 6) the celebration of the visit of the Wise Men bearing gifts for the infant Jesus. In cultures that celebrate Carnival, Epiphany kicks off a series of parties leading up to Mardi Gras.
Epiphany is also tradionally when celebrants serve King's Cake, a custom that began in France in the 12th century. Legend has it that the cakes were made in a braided circle to represent the circular routes that the Wise Men took to find Jesus, in order to confuse King Herod and foil his plans of killing the Christ Child. In the early days, a coin or bean was hidden inside the cake, whoever found the item was said to have good luck in the coming year. In Louisiana, bakers now put a small baby, representing the Christ Child, in the cake; the recipient is then expected to host the next King Cake party.
Well known Carnival celebrations are in Nice, France; Cologne, Germany; and Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The best known celebration in the United States is in New Orleans, a tradition that the area is continuing this year despite the horrendous devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Mardi Gras came to the Gulf Coast in 1699 when a French explorer arrived at the Mississippi River south of present day New Orleans. The French celebrated Mardi Gras with masked balls and parties, until the Spanish government took over in the mid-1700's and banned the celebration. The ban continued even after the U.S. purchased the area in 1803. Finally, in 1827 the celebration resumed. Ten years later the official colors of Mardi Gras were chosen: purple, a symbol of justice; green, representing faith; and gold, to signify power.
Nowadays, King Cakes are frosted with a white glaze and sprinkled with purple, green and golden sugar. A very colorful treat!
At Midnight on Mardi Gras, all revelry ceases and the clean-up crews arrive. The season of Lent has begun with Ash Wednesday.
What do we have to confess before Lent begins?
When I was at home with my parents we always had pancakes on what we called Shrove Tuesday. Not being Roman Catholic, I had no idea that Shrove had anything to do with confession. I do remember hearing about a place, I think in England, where the women of the town had a race on Pancake Day. They raced holding a skillet with a pancake on it and kept flipping them while they ran. Jeff made his special pancakes for us this morning. They tasted SO good!
With all the converation about Mardi Gras in New Orleans I went online to find out a little more history of the celebration. It has a long history. As early as the second century the Romans observed a Fast of 40 Days, which was preceded by a brief season of fasting, costumes and merrymaking.
Carnival comes from the Latin words carne vale, meaning "farewell to the flesh". The Carnival season kicks off with Epiphany (January 6) the celebration of the visit of the Wise Men bearing gifts for the infant Jesus. In cultures that celebrate Carnival, Epiphany kicks off a series of parties leading up to Mardi Gras.
Epiphany is also tradionally when celebrants serve King's Cake, a custom that began in France in the 12th century. Legend has it that the cakes were made in a braided circle to represent the circular routes that the Wise Men took to find Jesus, in order to confuse King Herod and foil his plans of killing the Christ Child. In the early days, a coin or bean was hidden inside the cake, whoever found the item was said to have good luck in the coming year. In Louisiana, bakers now put a small baby, representing the Christ Child, in the cake; the recipient is then expected to host the next King Cake party.
Well known Carnival celebrations are in Nice, France; Cologne, Germany; and Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The best known celebration in the United States is in New Orleans, a tradition that the area is continuing this year despite the horrendous devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Mardi Gras came to the Gulf Coast in 1699 when a French explorer arrived at the Mississippi River south of present day New Orleans. The French celebrated Mardi Gras with masked balls and parties, until the Spanish government took over in the mid-1700's and banned the celebration. The ban continued even after the U.S. purchased the area in 1803. Finally, in 1827 the celebration resumed. Ten years later the official colors of Mardi Gras were chosen: purple, a symbol of justice; green, representing faith; and gold, to signify power.
Nowadays, King Cakes are frosted with a white glaze and sprinkled with purple, green and golden sugar. A very colorful treat!
At Midnight on Mardi Gras, all revelry ceases and the clean-up crews arrive. The season of Lent has begun with Ash Wednesday.
What do we have to confess before Lent begins?
posted by Lois at 2:19 PM
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