To Ye Mistick Krewe –
What
is interesting about Mardi Gras is that many people do not realize
how deeply rooted it is in Catholic
tradition. New Orleans is a Catholic city. The day of Mardi Gras is
determined
by what day Easter falls on during
that particular year. Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after a
full moon after
the Spring Equinox.
The Spring Equinox is when the day and the night are of equal length, whereas
a Solstice is when the day is either the longest or the shortest of the year.
Mardi
Gras occurs on "Fat Tuesday" or "Shrove Tuesday", the day before Ash
Wednesday,
which is 40 weekdays (excluding
Sundays) before Easter. One of the symbolisms associated with the 40
days is that Christ
spent 40 days in the wilderness.
From
Ash Wednesday until Easter, Catholics observe Lent. Mardi Gras has
been described to me in the past as
the "last hurrah" before a time of prayer and restraint and a time of
spiritual preparation
for Easter.
Because
the Mayfairs are a Catholic family, all of these dates and observances
are important to them. The banquet
that Michael allows for Mardi Gras despite Rowan's absence is large
enough to feed
the entire family. Couple that with
Gifford's avoidance of the family during Mardi Gras and her anxiousness
to have
the ashes on her forehead at the
start of Lent, and you've got a very good snapshot of the depth of the
family's Catholic
faith.
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