In Latin countries, the CARNAVAL is centered on Tuesday (Mardi Gras, Martedi Grasso), but all of these traditions involve a raucous sending up of normal decorum. Carnival can be understood as letting off steam ahead of the austerities of Lent. If gluttony marks the Monday-Tuesday festivities, the overconsumption comes originally from the practical need to clear the household of the food and drink forbidden in the penitential season, which begins with ashes on Wednesday. But more is at stake in the wildness than a mere prelude to penance.
This week's glad interruption in time is a gift from the deep past. Carnival foolishness is self-surpassing, whether deemed holy or not. Either way, it is a reminder that we humans on the earth were made for more than appears before the eyes.
The Boston Globe
Monday, February 19, 2007
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