Folks in New Orleans are celebrating Mardis Gras, Fat Tuesday, with special enthusiasm following the Saints' Superbowl victory of a couple of weeks ago. They don't really need much of an excuse to party in the Big Easy, but surely the road back from the devastation of Katrina, and the long-awaited success of the NFL franchise, have provided plenty of incentive for this year's parades. Mobile, AL, and other Gulf Coast cities also have a tradition of Mardis Gras celebrations. In some places around the country, Fat Tuesday activities include Pancake Races. Pancakes were symbolic of the rich foods to be avoided during the season of Lent. Another more archaic phrase for today, Shrove Tuesday, suggests the act of being penitent for sins, and being forgiven.
In liturgical Christian churches -- and in many that are not so traditional -- the season of Lent calls the faithful to a period of spiritual reflection and introspection which often has included the discipline of fasting or "doing without." So the day before the forty-day Lenten observance has historically been devoted to celebration. I myself will have a pancake or two (though I make no commitment that they will be my last ones before Easter!).
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