I was a 5 year old the first time I experienced a Mardi Gras celebration.
I know you’re probably thinking who takes a child to Mardi Gras? I lived in New Orleans as a kindergartener and attended a Catholic grade school. New Orleans has a heavy Catholic influence and the festivities have stayed with me 40 years later.
I remember sitting on the curb waiting for the parade to start and the adults towering over me. It was a party with lots of drums, loud music and parade dancers. When the elaborate, colorful floats went by, we tried to catch as many beads as we could. We took those beads home and I wore as many as I could on my little neck all at once. The streets smelled of decadent fried foods like beignets, fried catfish, and hushpuppies.
At that age, and maybe because it was the 1980s, I didn’t experience anything that wasn’t kid-friendly.
We attended family parties and had lunches at school where King Cake was served. If you’ve never had King Cake before, it’s an oval-shaped, cinnamon brioche cake that’s decorated in bright green (for faith), purple (for justice), and gold (for power) sugar with a white, cream cheese frosting drizzle. After it’s baked, a tiny plastic Baby Jesus would be hidden inside. When slicing and serving it, a lucky individual would get the piece with the Baby Jesus. Every time I had King Cake, I always wished to get the Baby Jesus at the same time praying not to choke on it. Whoever received it would have good luck for the next year.
Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday is an opportunity to use up meat, eggs, dairy, before the start of the 40-day fasting season. It’s also referred to as Pancake Tuesday to use up all the rich ingredients before Lent.
It’s unfortunate that this day has evolved to carry such a negative connotation. At its core, it is about community gathering, celebration before the reflective season, and spiritual preparation. New Orleans culture, jazz music, and art all come together this Tuesday and it does not have to be about wild partying and excess. Because of my experience living in New Orleans as a child, I choose the spiritual, cultural, and community-based version.
Mardi Gras can be celebratory without being destructive.
When we look at Fat Tuesday through a traditional sense, we can keep in mind that it marks the transition into Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season of fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
Happy Mardi Gras!
