Tuesday, February 28, 2006

FAT TUESDAY

Just so you know I will almost do anything for beads. NOT! (whoa flash back). I have never celebrated Mardi Gras because I have always thought of it as an "adult" party. I never understood how a day of confession led to a carnival of debauchery but I guess you got to have something to confess before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. But this year I have decided to jump on the band wagon and have a bit of my own sharpified party.

I was looking for ideas on what to do that would be kid friendly and I came across this. So feel free to donn a mask and join me in my virtual party. I have also come across a recipe that you can use to make beads for your own beaded necklace.

What ever you decide to do today have fun. Tomorrow is the beginning of Lent (if I understand correctly). I'm not catholic but It would be interesting to me to see if I could give up a vice for 40 days. I don't know what I will give up yet but I think pop should be at the top of my list. Wow that sounded a little "eat drink and be merryish".

5 comments:

Philosophical Karen said...

Lent is about giving up the good things, like rich foods for example. But to go forty days without the good things, you have to make sure they're all gone before you start. Hence the day before Lent was all about using up the last of the rich foods in your pantry. And maybe by extension it came to be about indulging in other things you will abstain from for the next forty days. What better way to accomplish that than to have a big celebration?

I'm not sure, but the bead thing might be specific to New Orleans. I've never heard of it in any other context.

At the Catholic school I went to when I was growing up, they always celebrated today as "Pancake Tuesday." Maybe I'll make pancakes for dinner tonight. Yum!

Alyson said...

That seems kind of backwards Good things I mean. I thought it was all about the vices. At least that is what I got from what I read.. It is hard to separate the true holiday (lack of a better word) from traditions if that makes sense. Maybe its more about sacrafice than change.

I too have only found the bead thing as an Americanized part.
I did find a refrence to parading a fatted cow to remind you not to eat meat durring lent that was in France. I still wonder where the king and faith justice power came from?

Thanks Karen for Trying to straighten me out. Pancakes do sound good.

Anonymous said...

Well, I think the good things can be vices, or people view vices as good things. Rich foods are definitely good things but become vices when you eat too many of them. SO I think you are both write. Or, maybe I am just dillusional and make no sense what-so-ever. Paul and I went to New Orleans a couple years ago in June and I went to the Mardi Gras Museum. It was really neat and I learned a lot of really cool things about Mardis Gras, I'd have to go look them up to remember them though. :)

ABQ Mom said...

Albuquerque is heavily catholic. They made a big deal today about it being "Fat Tuesday" and also "Pancake Tuesday". There are a few churches around town that did a pancake dinner tonight too.

I think giving up vices would be a good thing to try. If you give up pop I will too. I've really been trying lately, but without much luck.

Allrie said...

I grew up Catholic and attended Catholic school K-8 and again my first couple years of college. Lent was about giving up something that would be a sacrifice--the idea being, to try to purify ourselves (even increase in perfection). Sundays, were, however a reprieve from the sacrifice. In my family desserts were a common thing to give up. I tried milk one year (I HATE milk) but my Mom explained that that would definitely not fall into the sacrifice column for me. Meat was always fasted on Fridays when I was a kid--so it was a non-issue, but I believe that following the no meat Friday rule is now frequently part of Lent as well.