What Time Is It?

What Time Is It?

Next week volunteers from Trinity will “pull an all-nighter” in order to make Fastnachts for sale. If you are not a native to Central Pennsylvania (like me!) you may be asking an obvious question: “What the heck are fastnachts – and what do they have to do with church?”
Well, it all goes back to the early church (doesn’t everything!) and some of the religious customs that developed over the centuries – but which have been clouded by time and changing traditions as time has gone by.

Let’s start with “Fat Tuesday”. Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday… and if you know your high school French, you may know that Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday". The name comes from the ancient custom of parading a fat ox through Paris on this day. The ox was to remind the people that they were not allowed to eat meat during Lent. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday thru Easter Sunday.French people who came to the United States brought the custom of Mardi Gras with them. The most famous festival in the US (and perhaps the world) is in New Orleans, but Mardi Gras parades happen throughout the world:

In Southern Italy, people dress up in costumes and put on an ancient play during Mardi Gras

In Rio de Jeneiro, people dance in the streets for “Carni-Val” (Literal translation: “To “lift” or abstain from flesh”)

In Nice, France people wear giant masks in the Mardi Gras parade (it looks like a bunch of walking heads with tiny bodies).

In Binche, Belgium people dress in colorful clown costumes (the clowns are called gilles). The clowns wear bunches of ostrich feathers on their heads and dance in the streets. They carry baskets of oranges which they throw to the watching crowds.

In Germany, “fastnachts” were made and eaten. The word means “Fast Night” – or the beginning of the “fast” of Lent.

And in New Orleans everyone dresses up in costumes. Trinkets, especially beads and doubloons, are tossed to the crowds from the parade floats.

The Christian faithful have many different ways of recognizing the beginning of Lent. For some, they pulled out all the stops and did all their “sinning” and celebrating before the start of a time of fasting and repentance. For others of a more serious bent, they spent the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday confessing! For those, it wasn’t called “Fat” Tuesday, it was called “Shrove” Tuesday. Shrove means "to be forgiven one's sins."

The tradition behind all this conspicuous consumption comes from the observance of Lent when the faithful spent 40 days (except Sundays) preparing their hearts, minds and souls for the celebration of Easter. In earlier times those days were spent in solemn reflection, prayer and fasting – when no bright colors were worn, no parties were held, no marriages performed, no dancing, no singing, no alcohol, no sex and no meat or sweets were eaten! (No wonder it’s currently out of fashion – even for the pious faithful!) On “Fat Tuesday” the cupboards were stripped of sugar and fats which were considered “luxuries” as people entered into a period of introspection, confession and sacrifice. All of this to mirror the suffering of Christ and a re-enactment in the lives of Christians of the 40 days of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

Until refrigeration became common, there was no way to store any perishable food for the 40 days of Lent, so ALL had to be eaten before Ash Wednesday so as not to waste...and what better way to get rid of any extra food and drink than to have a party! Depending on the country of origin, Christians around the world used up their eggs, milk and butter (not to mention candy and alcohol!) Today, we continue some of those traditions -- although there meaning has been lost to most of us.

Aren't you glad we just make donuts??!!