Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and tradition

Mardi Gras! by Bob Trammell

This is a re-posting of my post from last year on Fat Tuesday - I was looking for an image and stumbled upon Bob's painting in my pictures and thought, "that post was pretty good and informative. So let's have it again." :) So eat a lot today, friends, it's Fat Tuesday. Tomorrow I'll be having the eggs for dinner as usual, but will keep it all in perspective as noted on the third thing.

- Today is Fat Tuesday at the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, and the day before Ash Wednesday. Tradition says that people eat all they want of everything and anything they want on Fat Tuesday, as Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten fasting period for Christians. The Fat Tuesday I spent in New Orleans one year was easily the most fun I ever had anywhere.

- On Ash Wednesday in New Orleans, the revelers will wake up to a city with perfectly clean and strangely quiet streets. The ankle deep trash that is allowed to be dropped in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras will have been swept away by people hard at work during the night.

- My church traditionally serves up a dinner before Ash Wednesday service that features egg and pancake dishes - no meat. In Googling the question as to why we eat eggs, no meat, on Ash Wednesday, I came across this answer on Yahoo answers that sums it up from someone called Arcana 1, and puts it into perspective: "The choice is up to you. The Catholic Church advocates many practices of avoidance and fasting on certain days of the year. It is actually a carry over of the Church's ancient days' adventurism. But honestly I tell you this...Do good acts to all men, respect your parents and elders, do not cheat. Pray and have solid faith in your God. These acts will get you through hell even if you eat eggs or consume meat on Ash Wednesday. God Bless you." That sounds simple enough. :)

11 comments:

Jannie Funster said...

And I just bought a new carton of eggs, so I'm set for tomorrow!

I was in NOLA in summer, 1995. Neat place!

Happy mardi gras!!

xoxo

Maude Lynn said...

It's unbelievable that all of that trash gets picked up over night!

TALON said...

Love that painting - it just sings with life!

desk49 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
desk49 said...

That will teach me to get the right post on the right blog.
I lost everything deleting it so I'll just say happy Tuesday and Wednesday

Louvregirl said...

I love the colors so vivid-in that painting!

Adrenalynn said...

I've wondered what Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday is all about - thank you for explaining! And for the perspective :) I LOVE the picture. Fabulous colors!

Lynn said...

Jannie -

I love New Orleans - I haven't been back since Katrina, but I hear the rebuilding has really come along.

Happy Mardi Gras!

xo

Mama Zen -

Yes - they have a curfew tonight so everyone will be off the streets and then the clean up begins. Tomorrow morning it'll be clean as a whistle.

Talon -

I love it, too. Bob is a great artist.

Ellis -

I've done that before. Happy Tuesday and Wednesday to you!

lg -

I know - it just says Mardi Gras.

Lynn -

I'm glad you like it. And I thought the perspective was a good one. :)

Snaggle Tooth said...

I remember that painting, because I like it-
I barely eat meat anymore anyways, n eat eggs often with croissants from work.
What I hate about pancakes now is paying for the real Maple syrup which costs a fortune- I won't touch corn syrup. (Now is Maple Sugar collecting time, btw-)Usually I have to use fruit preserves on the pancakes now.

Happy Fat Tuesday Lynn!
(Don't get too fat!)

Lynn said...

Snaggle -

Thank you - I couldn't resist posting that again. I don't eat meat much either, so going vegetarian today is not a stretch for me at all.

I hear you on the maple syrup - that's what I like, too. It is so expensive.

LL Cool Joe said...

That's a great painting!