Laissez les bons temps rouler! Fat Tuesday Is Upon Us
Posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
It’s Fat Tuesday, ya’ll! That means parades, masks, beads, Moon Pies, and general crazy-making throughout the land, especially the South. So, ya’ll, laissez les bons temps rouler – Let the good times roll!
Being raised up north, we didn’t know the hoopla surrounding Mardi Gras – literally meaning the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
Being raised Catholic, I did, however, know the meaning of the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday being “the last day we can eat candy or meat before Easter.” That, to a kid and a meat-eater, was reason enough to indulge in gluttony from sunup until late into the night.
Now, living in the south, I see that Mardi Gras means a whole lot more than just Fat Tuesday… it means an industry. It means a HUGE industry.
As early as January the beads, masks, feathers, and assorted Mardi Gras treasures start to appear in every store. And I mean EVERY store. It seems no matter what the store is selling – it can be a bakery – they shove it all aside to put up their Mardi Gras display.
Have I fallen prey to this sort of extreme Fat Tuesdayism? Sort of. I’ve gone to my fair share of parades now and caught my fair share of beads, fully clothed mind you. I have a collection of Mardi Gras beads and masks, and I’ve eaten one, just one, Moon Pie. (If you’ve ever eaten a Moon Pie you’ll know why I just ate ONE.)
Yes, I must admit the whole Fat Tuesday slash Mardi Gras thing is infectious. I am supporting our local economy by purchasing all the right stuff to make sure my Fat Tuesday is spent as gaudily as possible.
And, yes, those of you who know me also know that I have a plastic flamingo wearing Mardi Gras beads. I have been assimilated by the Borg… er, I mean the South.
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. I will remove the beads draped around my plastic flamingo’s neck and I will make a sacrifice for Lent like a good Catholic.
Until then, laissez les bons temps rouler, ya’ll!
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You didn’t mention that your pink flamingo also grew up in the north country. Maybe you have another story there?
Yes, Brother Bill, you are correct. The pink flamingo is a northerner. And, no, to wear beads on Fat Tuesday is not “the way of our people.” We have bent to their will. The pink flamingo too has succumb.