Whatever you call this day on the calendar, I’m curious about what you think about today and Lenten season. Do you observe any of these traditions?
Will you party hard tonight? Is today for indulging or celebrating? Is this day just another day to you?
Will you be confessing and repenting tomorrow? Do those activities mark every day for you? Is tomorrow just a day like the other days? Will you be nursing a hangover?
Will you observe a fast during Lent? Do you regularly fast? What kinds of things do you fast during Lent? What have you fasted in the past? What are you fasting this year?
Or is this day only significant because a new episode of LOST will air this evening?
I’m just curious. You can leave an anonymous comment if you prefer.
Leslie Wiggins 
8 responses to “Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day/Whathaveyou”
Today’s just another Tuesday like any other. I’ve never observed lent and none of those celebrations you’ve listed are celebrated here in Canada.
Your question, “Will you be confessing and repenting tomorrow?” did make me pause though. What a good evaluation question to ask oneself halfway through the day!
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If I can have pancakes tonight, I will celebrate Pancake Day! However, this would still pale in comparison to September 19th – International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
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I’ve got nothing. No parties, no lent, no confessing…nothing. I’ve always been curious about lent, but have never been in a denomination that observes it. How about you?
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I haven’t been in a denomination that practices it, either, but I do appreciate the catholic calendar. I want to know more about how the days and weeks are marked from Christmas to Easter. For personal devotions and to help our kids understand the season, we have used Noel Piper’s little booklet, Lenten Lights, as a guide. It’s very good.
When I was about 10 years old, my family and I went to a Mardi Gras parade in Mobile, AL. It was crazy: Mom and I wore wild, colorful wigs and sang our favorite pop song at the top of our lungs while we walked down the street. I thought it was a lot of fun. I caught a Moon Pie. I guess the Mobile observance of Mardi Gras was a little tame *at the time* because I don’t recall seeing anything that I would want to prevent my 10 year old daughter seeing. And maybe my parents knew where to put us along the parade route so that we would avoid those kinds of things.
Anyway, that’s the extent of my Mardi Gras experience.
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Nothing. Just a plain old Tuesday.
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Same here. I haven’t been in a domination that practices it.
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Great questions. I would love to know answers too! Link this to your facebook page if you have more “friends” there who may observe this.
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Great questions, Leslie. In the town that my husband works, Mardi Gras has been huge and thus at his department everyone was required to work the day and nearest weekend. Usually lots of arrests, one year there was a riot. That was scary. Then the city led a propaganda push called “the party’s over”. They tripled the fines for all offenses and of course tripled the amount of officers on duty. It took three years of this but now St. Patric’s day is the busiest day of the year not Mardi Gras. So for us it’s meant overtime pay, lots of praying for safety of my husband and staying home out of the chaos for us.
I’ve never celebrated Lent, but have fasted several other times for various reasons.
And I’m trying to make not only personal confession to the Lord during prayer time somthing that I practice, but being open and honest with a very small group of women at our church that I’m starting to meet with regularly.
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