Is Mardi Gras the modern version of Anthesteria?

Anthesteria -- This is the Festival of Flowers, as well as a feast of the dead, and a drinking festival centered around Dionysos Limnaios ("of the marshes"). The first day, Pithoigia , was the Opening of the Jars, and the broaching of new wine. Celebrants gathered near the temple and opened wine-jars, pouring libations to Dionysos and drinking the rest. The second day, Khoes , was the Day of Swings. There was much drinking, drinking matches (where the prize was a skin of wine), and an erotic atmosphere. The presence of ghosts was felt. The next evening, when it was almost the beginning of the next ritual "day", a sacred marriage was performed in the inner chamber of the temple (which was only open for that night). The details of this ritual were secret, and so have not been passed down to us. It is possible that the rite was between a priestess or the queen, and a phallic representation of the god.

Is Mardi Gras the modern version of Anthesteria?
I suspect they are related. The church worked so hard to Christianize pagan sites and festivals, I'm sure some things were borrowed.


"Day of Swings" huh? That brings up interesting images doesn't it.
Reply:sure...whatever you say...
Reply:No.


Mardi Gras, like Carnival, originally started as one last fling before the beginning of Lent. These days, it is mostly an excuse to party without the fasting that used to follow.
Reply:Unless they were running naked through the streets, and "COPS" was there......no
Reply:No.





Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras)is the day before Ash Wednesday.





Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent where many sects of Christianity require that their members "sacrifice" or "give something up" for Lent.








Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) is when people party down before Lent starts, It is just an excuse to party.





That's all.
Reply:Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is directly tied to Lent. It is the last day in which Catholics are allowed to indulge in whatever Lent prevents them from indulging in. Lent begins the day after Mardi Gras.
Reply:Its actually more closely related to Bacchanalias and Saturnalias.





Yet even more holdovers from pagan religions from the worlds most plagiaristic Religion.
Reply:Yes...almost identical...





But for me...





The New Orleans Mardi Gras has always been more like...





The Modern Version of Anesthesia...(I know I had a good time, because I don't remember a thing...)
Reply:it just goes to show you, with all our technology, we just can't improve on ancient greece!





contrary to what christians believe, mardi gras is indeed taken from pagan springtime festivals. i think it is melded from many and has lost the direct associations of holidays like easter and yule. at winter's end, the ancients threw extravagant feasts to use up their winter stores before they spoiled. the church has only ever tolerated carnival/ mardi gras as opposed to the all-out assimilation of the winter rite, so it doesn't follow that christians invented it as a celebration of lent, which is no kind of celebration at all.
Reply:Interesting. I always suspect that the pagan traditions were there because - at the very least - they filled a vital role in the human psyche. If that role isn't filled by rituals and feasts and calendars, it's going to be filled by something else... Personally I love the fact that Christians have historically been able to adopt the pagan traditions - which never seem to die off completely in spite of the periodic purges that come every few hundred years.





Peace and (((hugGs)))