Monday, February 19, 2007
Mardi Gras
Not many people I knew growing up in my tiny town in the southwest corner of my panhandle state celebrated Mardi Gras. I recall knowing it existed and that New Orleans was the place to be. The fact that it was a time of celebration prior Lent was not something I conceived - and I'm not sure I would have understood it had someone tried to explain it to me. Afterall, I was unaware of the Christian calendar and the significance it had for marking time or what Lent even was.
What I did know about Mardi Gras was that it was woven in with the romanticism and mystery that surrounded New Orleans. My Mom had passed on her romantic ideas about the French Quarter, Cafe' Beaumond, and large Southern homes. My romanticism was even heightened by my own reading of Desiree' - a story of Napoleon's first fiancee' and by far the largest book I read in high school. (All things French, you know.) And we can never discount the impact of Gone With the Wind for romanticizing the South for me.
But being a bit on the Baptist side, I also associated it with debauchery. And my Methodist side, well most my Methodist friends wouldn't pass up a good party!!
I have not ever traveled to New Orleans nor have I ever really celebrated Mardi Gras. I have learned that it is celebrated all over - for some reason I thought only New Orleans had it. . . but no, I have picked up beads while snow skiing in New Mexico on President's Day weekend.
A time to celebrate before a time of sacrifice . . . that seems reasonable to me.
simple faith
Not many people I knew growing up in my tiny town in the southwest corner of my panhandle state celebrated Mardi Gras. I recall knowing it existed and that New Orleans was the place to be. The fact that it was a time of celebration prior Lent was not something I conceived - and I'm not sure I would have understood it had someone tried to explain it to me. Afterall, I was unaware of the Christian calendar and the significance it had for marking time or what Lent even was.
What I did know about Mardi Gras was that it was woven in with the romanticism and mystery that surrounded New Orleans. My Mom had passed on her romantic ideas about the French Quarter, Cafe' Beaumond, and large Southern homes. My romanticism was even heightened by my own reading of Desiree' - a story of Napoleon's first fiancee' and by far the largest book I read in high school. (All things French, you know.) And we can never discount the impact of Gone With the Wind for romanticizing the South for me.
But being a bit on the Baptist side, I also associated it with debauchery. And my Methodist side, well most my Methodist friends wouldn't pass up a good party!!
I have not ever traveled to New Orleans nor have I ever really celebrated Mardi Gras. I have learned that it is celebrated all over - for some reason I thought only New Orleans had it. . . but no, I have picked up beads while snow skiing in New Mexico on President's Day weekend.
A time to celebrate before a time of sacrifice . . . that seems reasonable to me.
simple faith
Labels: Lent
# posted by simple faith : 5:15 PM
