Happy Lundi Gras!
History of Mardi Gras in Biloxi, Mississippi.
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| https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3984b.ct000659/?r=-0.327,-0.014,1.556,0.815,0 |
As I prepare for Lent 2019, I am in a new city.
Biloxi, MS labels itself as the first city to have official Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States. Biloxi was once a part of the original land claimed by Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle for the French monarchy of Louis XIV and Anna, naming all the land drained by the Mississippi River, La Louisiane. The French Catholic tradition of one last party before a season of sacrifice was continued by new residents. Historically, Mardi Gras celebrations were carried out by local groups of revelers who carried flambeaus through the streets and paraded as masked miscreants. This tradition grew to include balls and floats as societies established themselves as official Mardi Gras associations.
Once the party is done, today recognized in New Orleans when the police horsemen ride down Bourbon Street, revelers turn in their boas and cocktails and head to church. Having grown up so close to New Orleans I can not count how many times I've been to Bourbon Street. The sense of revelry never seems to end there. This type of atmosphere brings a seriousness to the sacrifice that Lent leads to. Preparing for the Triduum of Easter is acknowledging that a divine man sacrificed for all eternity for the sake of men's souls. The same souls that seek solace in overdoing it each year.
I don't understand the love of Jesus sacrificing on the cross very much but, this year my prayers will be in gratitude. My act will be to try to write about God's grace every day on this space.
