Tulsans are putting Fat Tuesday on a diet this year but are expected to fill the churches for Ash Wednesday as a growing popular spiritual touchstone.
The city appears to be in a season of reflection. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, residents flocked to a downtown Mardi Gras parade, neighborhoods hosted parties and Fat Tuesday celebrations were part of the calendars for youth groups to senior centers. Such public pre-Lenten indulgences are largely missing this year.
A handful of Tulsa restaurants are offering themed menus and music, and Cain’s Ballroom is hosting a Mardi Gras show featuring King Cabbage Brass Band. But the city’s revelry remains muted.
This isn’t unusual, says the Rev. Sean Donovan, pastor of the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Wagoner.
“Throughout the centuries, there were times when Fat Tuesday and Carnival were a big deal in just certain cities,” he said. “And, there were times when they were really big everywhere, oftentimes getting out of hand and being excessive. People would then intentionally bring it back to its source of preparing for Lent.”
Reasons for the downplayed Mardi Gras could be people being partied out after the recent Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day, said the Rev. Keith Bethell, associate minister of youth for downtown Tulsa’s Boston Avenue Methodist Church.
“There also might be something about the anxiety of all the things happening in the world with people feeling less inclined to celebrate,” Bethell said. “I often think a lot about how for some people the world feels like it’s on fire, and in a lot of ways it is. I think folks are looking more and more for something that grounds them personally, whether that’s in their faith or in their personal development.”
History made current
Lent is a 40-day fast leading to Easter, which is considered the most significant Christian holiday because it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lent begins on what is known as Ash Wednesday and concludes with Holy Week before Easter.
“In the history of Christianity, we always approached a fast before a feast,” Donovan said. “The fast for Lent was based on Moses’ 40-day fast, Elijah’s 40-day fast and Christ’s 40-day fast. So there was traditionally a pre-Lenten season.”
Carnival originates from the Latin phrase “carne levare” or “carne vale,” meaning “to remove meat” or “farewell to meat.” Carnival turned into a week-long, intense and more cultural party in the late 19th century in Brazil, the Caribbean and a handful of European cities.
Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” and refers to the last day before Lent begins. This is a one-day party that arrived in the United States in the early 18th century in New Orleans.
Shrove Tuesday, also called Pancake Day, came out of England in the Middle Ages from the word “shriven,” meaning to confess and be absolved of sins. Pancakes used up the banned ingredients such as eggs and sugar.
Some Tulsa churches and faith groups are holding Shrove Tuesday dinners. These are more subdued meals focused on community and the fasting that begins the next day
“Lent is a time when we do a kind of spiritual check up,” said the Rev. Canon Steve Carlsen, interim rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown. “We confess our sins and make a practice of giving something up to remind us of our dependence on God, which is the point of giving something up.”
With Americans dealing with big secular divisions, faith leaders see Lent as a way to address those problems.
“I see a lot of polarization, and we’re very, very quick to point out the flaws and people we disagree with. I find it’s really hard to change others, and we usually have to begin with ourselves,” Carlsen said. “Am I open to where I might have been wrong and where I need to grow, rather than looking where others need to change? If we all started on ourselves that would be a really healthy thing.”
Skipping Fat Tuesday, but attending Ash Wednesday
While Tulsa may be largely skipping Fat Tuesday, church leaders expect bigger crowds for Ash Wednesday services. Ashes are made from burning the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, which is part of Holy Week.
“Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular days for people to go to church, sometimes even more than Christmas,” Donovan said. “It’s super popular.”
In the United States, ashes are typically placed on a person’s forehead while receiving a blessing, but in other countries they’ve kept the ancient tradition of sprinkling ashes on the crown of the head, Donovan said.
“I always give people in my parishes the option,” Donovan said. “This is a devotion, this is a blessing, this is sacramental. Do what you think will be the most helpful for your spiritual life.”
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