"Laissez les bon temps roulez" - translated as "Let the good times roll". How 'bout no. I know this won't be very popular, but you should really listen to this Christian's perspective to the whole Mardi Gras celebration.
I've lived in Louisiana all my life. Where family and togetherness is just sweet southern livin'. Crawfish boils and fried foods are the norm. "Jambalaya, crawfish pie-ah, file gumbo-ooohh" and I mean really, I live in the bayou lands. You don't get more southern than this, and my love for southern hospitality for our traditions and its heart, it's unbearable.
But I hate Mardi Gras.
I actually LOATHE MARDI GRAS.
"Mardi Gras (/ˈmɑːrdiɡrɑː/), also called Shrove Tuesday,[1] or Fat Tuesday,[2][3][4][5][6] in English, refers to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three King's Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season. Related popular practices are associated with Shrovetide celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent.
Popular practices on Mardi Gras include wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, debauchery, etc" - Thanks Wikipedia
Mardi Gras is the first big holiday after Christmas. People literally decorate their Christmas trees with beads in purples and greens, and blues music fills the streets, masks and French terms are everywhere. Where everybody and their mama likes to act a complete fool for some plastic. Where it's acceptable to "let it all hang out".
The music, the dancing, the drunkenness, the foolishness. Schools are closed, government offices, and many others, take the day off. It's a big deal down south. But truthfully, the whole shebang makes me want to vomit.
But before you think I'm just being a killjoy, hear me out. I'm not bashing the feast days, or "Fat Tuesday", or it's real meaning.
I'm hating on what people have made it out to be. A big party before Lent, a big "get out of jail free" card before the Passover. Letting all your sin nature out before you have to repent and give something up. This is totally against the word of God.
"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17
God doesn't give us a season to sin. He says that if you know to do good and you don't do it, that is sin. God says that sin will not enter into Heaven (Revelation 21:7) Why would He give you an excuse to do what He said not to do?
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Romans 6:1-2
Grace saves us from sin. It provides that way of escape, but grace is not a cloak to sin, it won't be used to cover sin. It is used as a washing of sin. Go and sin no more.
"And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." John 8:11 Jesus told the woman at the well, go and sin NO MORE. He said you may have sinned, you may have been living in sin, but you have now been saved. you've been saved and you are called to do otherwise. Sin no more. If you're truly saved, that sin nature should be under control, you shouldn't have to have a season to "let loose".
The wearing of masks and costumes.
"In the beginning, masks worn during Mardi Gras allowed wearers to escape society and class constraints. When wearing a mask, carnival goers were free to be whomever they wanted to be, and mingle with whatever class they desired to mingle with." - MardiGrasNewOrleans.com
"Free to be whomever they wanted to be". You know who wears masks? Burglars.
Unless you're doing something unlawful, wrong, embarrassing, unladylike, ungentlemanly; what do you need to hide your face for? What should you need to escape? You know who hid in the Bible? Adam and Eve, and they had sinned against God. Peter tried to hide amoung the crowd once he denied God.
"Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD." Jeremiah 23:24
"For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad." Luke 8:17
"For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad." Mark 4:22
Debauchery.
1. excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; intemperance.
2.Archaic. seduction from duty, allegiance, or virtue.
This is most disgusting to me. Excessive carnal, fleshly, lewd behavior. Not only in excess, but indulging in it. Allowing oneself to follow flesh, sin. A lack of moderation in actions, speech, behavior, alcohol, food. A leading away from virtue.
If there is one thing that isn't celebrated at Mardi Gras, it's virtue. Every year there's a new and way that someone was offended by a controversial act, or comment or decoration, there's riotous behavior that was caught on camera, there's more than enough arrests, incidents, accidents. More than enough booze and not nearly enough clothing. An overabundance of stupidity and absolutely no conscious. Too much sin and evil nature and nothing close to Godliness. The Bible says if it's not for Him, it's against him. I surely haven't seen God in Mardi Gras. And considering it's supposed to be the last hoopla before Lent, you probably wouldn't.
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;" Ephesians 5:18
"Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:21
I live in Louisiana, I love King Cake, I hate Mardi Gras.
