Carne Vale

Farewell to meat, chocolate, sweets, and dare I even say coffee for some!  These are the sacrificial penances that come to mind as the season of Lent draws closer.  

There is often a desire to indulge before the suffering begins.  During my time teaching I decided to give up coffee for one Lent, to which my students asked me how it was fair that they should suffer for my penance!  Good point and a good laugh.  I guess I was not suffering with grace after all. 

Let's take a closer look at the connection between Carnival, Mardi Gras, and the mysterious and not so much anticipated season of Lent.

The liturgical season of Lent is observed over the forty days before Easter and is a "fasting time."  Lent was formally established in the fourth century from the process in which those wishing to become Christians prepared for baptism.  The last forty days before baptism were regarded as a time when the whole church accompanied the individuals on their faith journey.

In Luke 4:1-13 (Gospel for first Sunday of Lent) Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil.  Likewise, the Church community seeks to fast and pray each year in imitation of Christ, in preparation to renew our baptismal promises, and in accompanying journeying Christians in their preparation.

So why the merriment on the day before Lent?  Each culture has its own way of celebrating, from intricate masks to music and dancing in the streets.  One thing that all have in common however is lots and lots of tasty food and indulgent beverages.  

Beginning in Italy, the Carnival (carne vale - farewell meat) was a fun way to clear out the kitchen of all of the restricted Lenten foods that would not preserve through the forty days of fasting.  Mardi Gras (fat Tuesday) is a similar French celebration which came to be associated with New Orleans when French explorer d'Iberville landed at the mouth of the Mississippi on March 3, 1699.  He commemorated the spot by naming it Point du Mardi Gras in honor of the celebration occurring in his homeland.  

The celebratory nature of the day before Ash Wednesday has been adopted in many cultures, although often disregarding the root and cause of the festivities.  The popular French custom of baking the delicious circular cake with a plastic baby in it for instance.  The King Cake as it is called, is named for the three kings who came to visit the Christ child.  The circular shape of the cake is said to represent the path that the Kings took in avoiding Herod, who sought to find and kill the child.  The baby hidden within the cake is meant to be the baby Jesus and it is traditional that the one who finds the baby will host and bake the cake the following year.

I love delicious traditions that are packed with meaning and tell a story!