Celebrating Mardi Gras Madness
By Rachel Davidson
Most people know Mardi Gras as a major celebration in the U.S. every year, but few understand why this event is so significant for the culture, families and traditions of the people of New Orleans. Truth is, the festivities shown on television can't capture the meaning behind this event.
Senior Kathleen Servatius didn't understand exactly what Mardi Gras was all about until she visited New Orleans last weekend, during the height of the celebrations for the first time. "The most surprising thing to me was how much pride people had," she said. "Everybody really came together to celebrate this."
Festivities leading up to Mardi Gras, which is a legal holiday in Louisiana, begin on the "Twelfth Night," on Jan. 6, 12 days after Christmas Day. Celebrations such as throwing beads, dancing and designing floats are carried out by different Krewes, or "clubs," of Mardi Gras. Different Krewes have been created and organized secretively over the years.
At midnight of Fat Tuesday, the leaders of the oldest Krewes toast to acknowledge the beginning of Lent. The celebrations are ceased once the clock hits 12:01 a.m. and it's officially Ash Wednesday.
A New Orleans native, senior Brooke Levy remembered Mardi Gras as an affair where entire communities gather together to celebrate. She said that when she first came to Santa Clara, her friends would ask if she'd ever been to Mardi Gras, which she found funny because, as she described Mardi Gras isn't something you "go" to.
"That was like asking if you'd 'been' to Christmas or the Fourth of July," said Levy. "It just happens, everywhere."
Senior Will Usdin, another New Orleans native, misses Mardi Gras most because he said he remembers it as "a time to be together with friends and family celebrating the unique culture and the rich history of my city."
The name "Mardi Gras" is French for Fat Tuesday, symbolizing the feast that people engage in before fasting for lent. Here at Santa Clara, Campus Ministry celebrated Fat Tuesday with International Pancake Day. According to Director of Resident Ministry Frances Cook, the tradition began with pancakes because they consist of everything you shouldn't have during lent: butter, eggs and sugar. "Cultures around the world celebrate this custom in different ways and even engage in pancake races," said Cook.
The entire Campus Ministry staff pitched in to put together their Mardi Gras celebration that included the music of New Orleans, masquerade masks and beads as part of traditional southern culture. Even though the festivities are over for this season, we can start looking ahead to 2014 for a fun and fulfilling Fat Tuesday.