Today is Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, and for those of you celebrating I wish you a fun, safe night. Mardi Gras is called Karnival or Carnival in some other parts of the world that share a strong Roman Catholic heritage.   The Catholic link is important, because Fat Tuesday has to occur the day before Ash Wednesday, the day that begins the Lenten fast. That’s the whole point!

It does seem ironic that a wild debauch is linked to a religious fast, but I guess that’s evidence that the “play now, pay later” mentality is not a modern phenomenon.  Also, anyone who has endured life in a cold climate knows that by the middle of February you’re ready to jump out of your skin from the sheer dreariness of trying to stay warm.  Add to that the certainty of a forty day fast, and you can understand the tradition of blowing off steam in one giant end-of-winter party.

It might not exactly be what any one of us would call “love” in the air in New Orleans tonight, but definitely, in two days we’ll see the annual celebration of the real deal when we celebrate Valentine’s Day!