History of Mardi Gras

History Of Mardi Gras

The Roots of the Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras or "Fat Tuesday" had roots in the Middle Ages and was later reformed when the Catholic Church adopted the event. The Europeans of the Middle Ages celebrates Mardi Gras as a festivity before the commemoration of Jesus' death. A "carnival" is traditionally related to a Mardi Gras celebration. "Carnival" which means "without flesh or meat" is being celebrated in relation to the religious event of the Lent. After years of Mardi Gras celebration, the Catholic Church decided to adopt the event as it relates to religious beliefs. The celebration was eventually passed down to other countries especially during those times when the Europeans were able to conquer some lands. One example of a country that was influenced by the Mardi Gras celebration was America. Because of the French conquerors, whose countries traditionally celebrate the Mardi Gras, the tradition of the event was handed down to the Americans.

Historians believe that the Mardi Gras were really celebrated as a pre-Lenten event. It was celebrated two weeks prior to Lent where people are merry making and eats extravagantly.

History of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday," is a celebration on a Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and is considered as the last merriment before Lent. The event was already known long before the Europeans came to the New World.

Lenten season, which is next to the Mardi Gras, has been a Christian tradition wherein fasting is observed. In fasting, the Christians practice not to eat meat until the Easter Sunday. Mardi Gras relates to this as a preparation to Lent. People celebrate in this event by eating rich food as they will practice fasting afterwards.

Mardi Gras relates to "carnival." It is a combination of Latin words 'carnis' (flesh) and 'vares' (farewell), meaning farewell to flesh. The Mardi Gras tradition is believed to have a great percentage of Christian beliefs. However, this event originated from Rome in the middle of the second century. Although the term refers to 'Tuesday', the Roman tradition of the Mardi Gras includes feastings several days before the 40 days of Lent. People would wear masks, spectacled clothes, and drive themselves into madness of merriments.

As Mardi Gras became widely known throughout Europe, the Catholic Church soon decided to commemorate the celebration. Similar to how it was being celebrated by the Europeans, the Catholic Church observes the event as a mark before penitence. America became as the next to have been influenced by the celebration of the Mardi Gras during the time that it was colonized by the Europeans. Celebrate Express Online tells its story as follows.

The first historical evidence of Mardi Gras traditions in America dates back to 1699, when a French explorer camped on the Mississippi River, about 60 miles south of present day New Orleans. Since he knew that Mardi Gras was being celebrated in his native country at that time, he named the site Point du Mardi Gras. From that time forward, the French in New Orleans celebrated Mardi Gras with masked balls and parties until the mid-1700s, when the Spanish Government took control of the area.

When the Spaniards conquered America, Mardi Gras was banned. Partying and street dancing were prohibited. Perhaps, this was because the Spanish culture prefers a conservative way of living. The revelries and madness in merriment that happens to people who joins the Mardi Gras may be attitudes that are not accepted to the traditional culture of the Spaniards.

Aside from the Spanish conquerors, after American gained power on their land, there were also times when the Mardi Gras was banned by the U.S. Government. It was only because of Creoles that the ban on Mardi Gras celebration was lifted. In 1827, the Americans were once again able to revel days before the penitence of Lent. Festivities were once again gathered with people wearing masks, drinking, and enjoying the merriments on the streets. It was in 1837 when people made a public parade of happiness in New Orleans, with masks and costumes, in celebration of the Mardi Gras.

The official colors of the Mardi Gras event were known in 1872. There are three colors of the Mardi Gras in which each represents and symbolizes something. From Celebrate Express Online, these colors are the following.

Purple - a symbol of justice

Green - representing faith

Gold - representing power

The celebration of the Mardi Gras is nowadays being held in many places around the world. This includes European countries such as France and Germany, as well as in the states of America. The two states of America that are considered to hold the best Mardi Gras celebration, as compared to others, are New Orleans and Louisiana. In these states' Mardi Gras celebration,

Extravagant floats are being organized and paraded. The members of the organization are all dressed up in costumes. Every year, the Mardi Gras parade in America has a theme to follow. The costumes of the participants are based from the theme that the organization chooses. Some of the themes that were used in Mardi Gras are history, famous people, legends, and mythologies. Fat Tuesday in America is always being attended by many people. This is because many people find the Mardi Gras as a way to exercise freedom.

One reason why the supporters of the Mardi Gras tradition grows is the distribution of "throws." Throws are ornaments that are thrown to people during the parade of floats. Such throws can be the logo of the year's Mardi Gras celebration, special coins, and medallion. Throws are believed to have good luck on the person that received. In Mardi Gras celebration, people are shouting in happiness and waiting for chances of getting a "throw."