Happy Fat Tuesday! Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and our season of Lent begins. Today is the last day to indulge (so the legend goes).
Mardi Gras, literally "Fat Tuesday," has grown
in popularity in recent years as a raucous, sometimes hedonistic
event. But its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the
"last hurrah" before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
That's why the enormous party in New Orleans, for example,
ends abruptly at midnight on Tuesday, with battalions of streetsweepers
pushing the crowds out of the French Quarter towards home.
What is less known about Mardi Gras is its relation to the
Christmas season, through the ordinary-time interlude known
in many Catholic cultures as Carnival. (Ordinary time, in
the Christian calendar, refers to the normal "ordering"
of time outside of the Advent/Christmas or Lent/Easter seasons.
Carnival comes from the Latin words carne vale,
meaning "farewell to the flesh." Like many Catholic
holidays and seasonal celebrations, it likely has its roots
in pre-Christian traditions based on the seasons. Some believe
the festival represented the few days added to the lunar calendar
to make it coincide with the solar calendar; since these days
were outside the calendar, rules and customs were not obeyed.
Others see it as a late-winter celebration designed to welcome
the coming spring. As early as the middle of the second century,
the Romans observed a Fast of 40 Days, which was preceded
by a brief season of feasting, costumes and merrymaking.
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Our friends had to entertain themselves yesterday. They visited some people they know who live in another town a little north and west of us. It was a good visit, so they told us last night. I had pork chops in the crockpot, so it was easy to do potatoes and a vegetable when I got home. The Crockpot sure makes life easier! I have spaghetti sauce in the crock for tonight! I think they are going over to Orlando today, to explore a bit.
I heard from my sister, briefly, last night. She said Bruce has moved into a combative stage of his recovery, and it has her upset and concerned. I guess the staff there told her it is something that happens, and he will get through it. He is such a gentle man, it is hard for me to picture him being combative. I hope he does move through it fast, for her sake as well as his. Keep those prayers going, please!
I'm a little later than usual getting this posted! Thanks for peeking in, and happy Fat Tuesday to you! Peace, love & hugs.
We didn't celebrate Lent growing up, not in the traditional sense of 'giving something up' anyway. As an adult I have enjoyed thinking more deeply during this season leading up to Easter though, and add a special book to my quiet time and consider what needs changing-adding or deleting in my life. It's snowing here again, so it may be a pancake day. Snow and pancakes go together. Today is when people eat pancakes, right? Enjoy your company...will keep your bil in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteI went to Mardi Gras when it wasnt hedonistic and really had a good time, learning the meanings of colors, Lent, etc. I wouldnt go again in a 1,000,000 years to M.G., but I do love the city of NO. Confusing about Bruce, but as the nurses said, it happens, and we can just pray it is over quickly. How does one live without a crockpot? lol Hugs
ReplyDeleteHappy Pancake Tuesday! Please let Tammy know that she's in my prayers as much as her husband. It's logical that she's suffering too.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favourite easy recipes for the crockpot is boneless pork chops covered with onion soup. When it nearly done, add a bit of flour to thicken the sauce. It's a recipe I've been making for years. Everythibg that comes from the crockpot is delicious.
I was surprised to learn that Lee (who went to parochial school and knows his Bible well) had never heard of Shrove Tuesday. What the heck! Many churches around here are/were celebrating with Pancake Breakfasts today. Probably all that has been canceled with the snow and freezing rain last night. Lent is upon us, one of the best times of the year.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be able to stop by and catch up with you again.
ReplyDeleteCrock pot cooking and working go well together :) Enjoy your guests!
So sorry to hear of this latest development concerning your BIL. I will continue to pray.
Hello from your long-lost Canadian Pacific friend. I just got home from a Shrove Tuesday Pancake supper at our church hall. I had to help with setting the tables and clearing but I also got the job of greeting. It is not something I volunteer to do but somebody had to do it and it is better than cooking. I used a hand held mask. Lent starts tomorrow and I am still mulling over what to give up. That is a habit left over from childhood but now instead we are encouraged to promise to do something for others like taking a lonely elder to lunch. Last year I tried stopping everyday to talk to a lonely soul on the streets of this small village. I am not ready yet to get back to blogging but do check in still every once in a while. My blogging would be so boring now that I can't go travelling and seeing new things and places that were fun to blog about.
ReplyDeletePS that is an excellent new picture of you. You look so fresh and young.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree that the crock pot makes life so much easier, especially for someone who needs to be away from home all day long.
ReplyDeleteI pray your brother-in-law will move through this phase quickly as he starts to feel success in his progress.