As I wrote over at Sarah’s place yesterday, Mardi Gras may be my new favorite holiday season.
Despite its history as the “last chance to celebrate” before the penitential season of Lent, Mardi Gras is the opposite for me. After the mad rush of Christmas that makes me a little crazy, the no-pressure season of Mardi Gras is a welcome respite. Mardi Gras literally means “Fat Tuesday” in French, and is traditionally known as a day of feasting before the fast, with pancakes a common menu item on that day.
At first glance, Mardi Gras probably doesn’t seem like it would be my kind of thing.
I’m not a party girl. I much prefer coffee (or wine) with a handful of friends in jeans and a T-shirt to a crowd and loud music wearing a formal dress. I’m short, which is a distinct disadvantage during the parades when you’re trying to catch a throw. I hate clutter, and the coveted Mardi Gras throws are the epitome of clutter.
But Mardi Gras is also the highlight of what can sometimes be a dreary season.
It’s a chance to be festive without spending a lot of money – all we really need is enough gas to drive the two miles to the parade route downtown. There’s no elaborate cooking to be done, but there are delicious treats like Moon Pies and King Cake to be eaten. Purple, green, and gold adorn mailboxes, doors, and the like, but unlike Christmas there’s no expectation that you decorate for it. And of course, that two day school break the kids get isn’t bad, either.
Last year, our Fat Tuesday revelry was interrupted by the departure of Mr. Andi’s appendix, but the kids and I still squeezed a little bit of beach time out of the day. Today’s forecast calls for rain, so we probably won’t make it down to the bay, but we’ve already enjoyed the pancakes Mr. Andi cooked for us before leaving for work. Today we’ll relax and we’ll watch a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and we’ll probably play a little Just Dance.
There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to give birth, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
– Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Tomorrow, we’ll go to Mass for Ash Wednesday and begin the Lenten season, but today is our time to laugh, to dance, and eat a few pancakes.
