Mardi Gras, a very blasphemous celebration (also known as Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Fasching, or Carnival) is a traditional holiday celebrated in the USA, Brazil, Venice, and other Roman Catholic countries. In New Orleans, the people there enjoy this celebration by going to parades where they catch beads, doubloons, cups, and trinkets that are all thrown from floats. It is usually celebrated in February. Traditionally, rich foods such as eggs, meat, oils, and butter were strictly prohibited during the 40 days of Lent (preceding Easter). It thus became customary to eat all that remained of these foods in the house and enjoy one last feast on the day before the 40-day fast (Lent). One of the most well known names for this day, Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday"), reflects the tradition of enjoying rich foods on this day. Another name for this holiday, Carnival, may also refer to this last enjoyment of rich foods. Some believe it derives from the Medieval Latin carnem levare or carnelevarium, which means to take away or remove meat. Shrove Tuesday comes from the practice of "shriving," or the false doctrine of "confession and absolution" of sin, that takes place on that day.
Carnival celebrations vary in their length and nature throughout the world. In Munich and Bavaria, Fasching (as Carnival is called) begins on Epiphany (January 6). Many German communities in the US and around the world celebrate Fasching. In France, it is celebrated only on the day before Ash Wednesday (thus Mardi Gras, "Fat Tuesday"). The New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration begins on Epiphany and ends on "Fat Tuesday." In many places, Carnival begins on Quinquagesima Sunday (the Sunday before Ash Wednesday) and ends on Shrove Tuesday. According to a pre-1000 AD English "Church" Decree: In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him as he then may hear by his deeds what he is to do [in the way of penance].
In earlier times, Rome (Catholic Headquarters) was the place to be for the Carnival, as its celebrations were unsurpassed in splendor. The Rome Carnival played a major role in the development of dance, theater, and music. Today, the most famous Carnival celebrations take place in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and Venice which include masked balls, elaborate costumes, parades, and many other festivities. The celebration of Mardi Gras/Carnival has very little to do with the Bible. Although found primarily in Roman Catholic regions and based on the traditions of Shrove Tuesday, Carnival is a time for raucous celebration and merrymaking to an excess. As in Sydney and Rio, the gay community also plays a major part in the New Orleans Mardi Gras, particularly in the French Quarter, where the streets teem with strutting drag divas. The excess far surpasses ungodliness and would make Sodom and Gomorrah blush.
By a special constitution addressed by Benedict XIV to the archbishops and bishops of the Papal States, and titled "Super Bacchanalibus" (Named after an inscription from Senatus Consultum de Bacchanalibus in the year 186 B.C. which is the oldest surviving Senatorial Decree in the Latin language. It stipulates the regulations to be observed during the rites of the mystery cult of the Bacchanalia [Hence, Mardi Gras parades are organized by Krewes who take on the name of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and other false gods]. Ecstatic festivals held in honor of the god Dionysus/Bacchus, in the wake of which severe excesses occurred at the beginning of the 2nd century B.C.): a plenary indulgence was granted in 1747 to those who took part in the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament which was to be carried out daily for three days during the Carnival season. Apparently, people had to be given special indulgences during this "chrisitan" celebration because the partying had become too appalling.
During the period of Carnival, there occurs some of the most decadent feasting of the liturgical year. There is, however, a pious and convoluted logic behind this consumption. Because not only meat but also lacticinia (dairy products) were originally prohibited during Lent, Catholics knew that they had to eat these foods before Ash Wednesday or they would spoil. The last days before Lent were thus spent in eating copious amounts of fat dishes. From this necessity comes England's famous Shrove Tuesday Pancakes and northern England's Collop Monday (a collop is made of sliced meat and eggs fried in butter). This also gave rise to the most infamous party of all: Mardi Gras, the final day before Lent.
One of the more interesting customs of the New Orleans Mardi Gras is the baking of a King's Cake, in which is placed a small doll of the Infant Jesus. The person whose piece of cake has the doll must provide the cake for next year's drunken bash. The baby hidden in the cake speaks to the fact that the three Kings had a difficult time finding the Christ Child and of the fine gifts, they brought. The history of the King Cake began in 12th century France where the cake would be baked on the eve of January 6 to celebrate the visit to the Christ Child by the three Kings. A small token was hidden in the cake as a surprise for the finder. This tradition still lives on in New Orleans and is big business for the local bakeries. This is a blasphemous practice attempting to connect Jesus to a celebration of debauchery and honoring false gods in parades and parties.
Mardi Gras is not a Christian holiday. The Holiday lacks any Biblical support and scriptural foundation. Along with Good Friday, shriving, Lent, Ash Wednesday, Maunday Thursday, and Catfish Friday; Fat Tuesday is a Roman Catholic tradition that has gone amuck and is not true scriptural worship or true Biblical Christianity. The premise for this Catholic "holy" day is to get in all the debauchery, fornication, drunkenness, and general self-indulgences a person can get, because the next forty days a Catholic is told they must give up meat on Fridays until Easter. The Catholic "priest" can give special indulgences as long as the congregant pays penance (blasphemy). That is not true religion. God would in no way condone such lasciviousness.
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