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Mardi Gras!

Have you ever heard of Mardi Gras??  Do you know what it is about??  Is it harmless?  Everybody supports it, it's a popular seasonal event.  Some say it is a "Christian Celebration", some say it's just people wanting to have a good time.  You determine!

What is Mardi Gras?

In the Christian Faith, Resurrection Day (Easter) is the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. This is always on the first Sunday after the Pascal full moon which is the first full moon after the vernal equinox. In the Catholic Faith, as well as some other Christian denominations, the period preceding Resurrection Day (Easter) is known as the season of Lent during which the faithful are supposed to repent for their sins. The word "Lent" comes from the Old English meaning "the Spring". The repentance includes fasting and abstention from eating meat. The period includes 40 days of repentance and six Sundays which are not technically part of Lent. The first day of Lent is known as Ash Wednesday. Ashes are placed on the foreheads of the Roman Catholics by the right hand of persons in authority, including Catholic school teachers who mark their students. The official Catholic 'blessing' for Ash Wednesday states, "Lord, our God, bless these ashes which remind us of our mortality. May our observance of lent bring pardon for our sins, and new life with your risen Son, Jesus....." The Catholic calendar indicates that Ash Wednesday and the following 7 Fridays are to be days of fasting, whereby meat is prohibited. Somewhere along the line, people decided to have parties and feasting and fun before the season of fasting and repentance began. Thus began "Carnival" ("farewell to meat") celebrations with the big day being the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, aka "Shrove Tuesday" or "Mardi Gras." The term, "Mardi Gras," is French, meaning "Fat Tuesday," alluding to the practice of the French Catholics in parading a fat ox through the streets. This  celebration takes place the day before Ash Wednesday. It was originally called "Shrove Tuesday" in Europe, as a day in which confession was made in preparation for fasting. In fact, the celebration which occurs on New Year's Eve is the beginning of an extended season of carnivals, parades and pageantry which culminates with Mardi Gras. 

New Orleans is an old (for North American) city that has been under the rule of both France and Spain. Both France and Spain are very Catholic and the people took their repentance seriously. They took the pre-Lenten festivities seriously too and from these celebrations came Mardi Gras.

As Mardi Gras developed in New Orleans, the celebrations became rowdy, and for a period in the early 19th century wearing costumes and masks in the streets became illegal. Mardi Gras began to assume its current form when the Mystic Krewe of Comus staged its first street parade in 1857. The celebrations have evolved over the years, of course.

Today, the Mardi Gras season begins on the 12th night after Christmas and extends until midnight on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday ("Mardi Gras day"). During this period there are many "balls", formal affairs where debutantes are introduced and the associated parties. About 2 weeks before Mardi Gras, street parades begin with various clubs ("krewes") parading in costume through town on floats which are wagons with built up paper mache scenery and decorations. The parades also contain various marching units and bands. The maskers on the floats throw beads, trinkets, cups and doubloons (aluminum coins inscribed with the krewe insignia, date and parade theme) to the crowds as the parade passes. As Mardi Gras approaches the crowds swell with tourists.

By the weekend before Mardi Gras, the city is crowded with tourists and college kids in town for the festivities. Many of the visitors congregate in the French Quarter, which is the oldest part of the city, most of which was built prior to the acquisition of Louisiana by the United States in 1803. One of the streets in the French Quarter is Bourbon Street, named after the royal house of France. Many people associate the name with Bourbon whisky, the American corn whisky first distilled in Bourbon County, Kentucky but this is incorrect, although there is undoubtedly a lot of Bourbon consumed on Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street has a number of bars and strip joints and many of the visitors congregate there. From about Thursday evening, through the weekend and on to midnight on Tuesday there is a continuous party going on Bourbon Street and its environs.

Many of the buildings in the French Quarter have balconies and they are often full of people partying along with those in the street. Somewhere along the line some of these people threw beads to those in the crowd on the street and this quickly became a custom. At some point, some young lady exposed her breasts in order to get someone on a balcony to throw her some beads and this became a custom too.  

 

Is this something Christians should be involved in???

 

Some Biblical Thoughts..........

• 1 Peter 1:16   Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

 

• Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
  15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
  16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

• 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

 

• James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

 

• Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
  13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
  14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
  15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

 

• Romans 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

 

• Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
  6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
  7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
  8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
  9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
  
• 1 Corninthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
  13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
  14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
  
  
• 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
  17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
  18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
  19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

 

Christian Brother or Sister, do you believe that the Precious Lamb of God is  pleased by our participation into  Mardi Gras.  How can we be "light" in a dark world if we participate in such an event?  How is God glorified?  Do you see Christ, the Son of God,  particating in such  a "drunken, rowdy event?  So as a professing Christian, why are you particating?  May we encourage you to do as Christ tells us in Luke 9:23 "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Why is the Celebration of Mardi Gras such a contradition to Scripture?? That is because Mardi Gras is based entirely on "religious tradition", it is not in the Bible.  It is a tradition that has evolved from "men", not God!  I challange you to find it in the Holy Bible, it is not there!  Neither is "Lent" or "Ash Wednesday".  Christ had some harsh things to say about those who "taught tradition ABOVE the Commandments of God".

Mark 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

If Christ has these harsh words for those who "teach" these made-up traditions of men, what words does Christ have for those who participate in them??  How about You??  Your family?? Your loved ones??