As the daughter of a former nun and an almost-priest, I admit that I might have had and unusual level of exposure to all things Catholic. We celebrated just about every feast and fast and probably even made some up.
One of my favorites was Mardi Gras. There are a bunch of different explanations for Mardi Gras, but I prefer these two:
1. A clever incorporation of pagan rituals to win converts
2. The clearing out of winter storage supplies to prepare for the purposefully lean times of Lent
I think Mardi Gras might have seemed like the old bait-and-switch to converts, however. With all the drinking, yummy fried foods, music and fun- they were probably thinking, "I could do this! These Christians sure know how to live it up!" And then Bam! They wake up the next morning with a 40-day hangover of fasting and repentance. Welcome to the Church.
Anyhoo, in my family Fat Tuesday meant going out for Chinese food and making ice cream Sundaes for dessert. The next day all the left-over ice cream had always mysteriously vanished, perhaps on a surprise vacation to the North pole until Easter. As I got older and noticed that my father always gave up ice cream for Lent, I began to develop a better idea of what happened.
I'm currently trying to figure out what I'll do for Lent this year. I have a strong personal motto, "Don't go looking for Lent, Lent will find you," so I normally shy away from making plans. But this year seems different somehow. I'll have to think it over tonight while eating egg rolls and chocolate sprinkles.
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