How About a Little Cajun Music for Mardi Gras? :)

(Just click on the screen) Stephanie, from our Etsy Rosary Makers Guild made this comment about Mardi Gras which I found enlightening. I had the same first impression that she did.

"I've lived outside Mobile for 3 years now, but find it impossible to explain Mardi Gras to people who aren't from around here. Before I moved here I thought of it as one parade, in New Orleans, that was totally evil. Make that (E)vil. Little did I know that the entire Gulf Coast celebrates it (virtually all the Catholics and most Protestants too), the schools shut down for a week, most business shut down for at least 4 days, and it is the most totally FREE fun that I've ever had! "
--Stephanie

Karl Keating from Catholic Answers (http://www.catholic.com/) gives this explanation of Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday and Lent which came from a Baptist Church website of all places???:

DID YOUR PARISH PRINT THIS EXPLANATION OF LENT?From a church's web site:"Why should I observe Lent? What purpose would it serve?"

It is a call to prepare for Easter. During this period of serious reflection, you spend time in self-examination and spiritual redirection. It is a time for you to acknowledge your shortcomings and to seek forgiveness for where you have fallen in your faith. Lent offers you the opportunity to seek spiritual renewal through the practice of prayer and self-denial."

Why ashes [on Ash Wednesday]?"

The people of the Old Testament used ashes as a sign of mourning (Esther 4:1-3, Job 42:6, Jeremiah 6:26). Even today, ashes are considered a symbol of death and of nothingness. Ashes remind us of our helplessness and dependence on God. They remind us of our need to mourn our sinful nature, to feel contrition, and to repent so that we may receive God’s forgiveness. They are a symbol of sinfulness and of our commitment to spiritual renewal."

I heard that Mardi Gras has something to do with Lent. How can that be?"

Mardi Gras means 'Fat Tuesday' in French. For those who fasted by severely restricting their diets, the Tuesday before the beginning of Lent was the last chance to 'eat-up' until Easter. They celebrated with food in a big way. The secular world has seized upon this day as an excuse to 'party hard' . . . much like the commercialization of Christmas."

This description actually came from Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Troy, Virginia. As Karl Keating wrote, "Not many Catholic parishes have produced such a good explanation of the current liturgical season."