Mardi Gras AKA Fat Tuesday AKA Shrovetide
Mardi Gras, translated as Fat Tuesday, became a LEGAL HOLIDAY in Louisiana in 1875, but today it is celebrated across the country & even WORLD WIDE. It’s roots are from Ancient Rome, and it is a 
PAGAN RITUAL, paying homage to Jarilo, the “god,” of vegetation, fertility, & springtime. Since ancient times this holiday was timed to the day of the Vernal Equinox (March, 20-21). The New Year began on this day. In Egypt, people celebrated the fertility goddess Isis; in Greece the people honored the goddess Cora, Demeter and Athena. The celebrations in honor of the goddess Minerva, in Rome, were held for five days after the Equinox.
In pagan Russia the Shrovetide Week began on the Vernal Equinox, and was the heir of an older festival associated with the cult of spring bear.
Originally known as Shrovetide, Fat Tuesday involves sun worship, offering of cakes for the “queen of heaven,” (expressly forbidden in the Bible) necromancy– (in the form of recognizing familiar spirits & ancestral worship), along with the consumption of food, sacrificed to idols: All of this, combined with divination, gluttony, drunkenness, lewd behavior, and lasciviousness, often celebrated as a parade and masquerade, make up what is called by some, the Carnival, “Holiday” we are familiar with today.
Act 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
Act 15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
Considering the definition of Holiday, (originally meaning a “Holy Day,” further defined as, “a day in which religious observance is held,”), this debouched spectacle of indulgence, hardly seems appropriate.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world
(1 John. 2:16).
abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11).
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them (Romans 1:26-32).
Perhaps the worst aspect of Mardi Gras is the flagrant honoring of false gods. Not only do over half the “krewes” display the names of pagan, Greek, and Roman, gods, many of the rites belonging to ancient heathen societies, are acted out as if they are legitimate forms of worship. The names, themes, and images of other gods are everywhere. However, the Almighty unequivocally states:
And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth (Exodus 23:13).
Mardi Gras is rife with adultery, fornication, drunkenness, gluttony, idolatry, lawlessness and even witchcraft. Fights break out, rape and murder take place, and thieves are constantly on the prowl. The New Orleans law enforcement warns people to not carry purses or large amounts of money because it is said that the celebration is a pick pocket’s dream. The entire celebration is about reveling in some form of sin. It is no place for any true Christian.
Christians need to realize that this modern perversion of ancient paganism is just as great a sin today, as it was in the past! This drunken revelry is simply giving in to perverse human nature. It does not reflect the moderation taught in the Scriptures. As Paul wrote:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19‑21).
Shrove Tuesday is exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday, a moveable feast based on the cycles of the moon. The date can fall anywhere on or between the 3rd of February or 9th of March. This year, it’s celebrated on February 17, while last year, it was observed March 4th. The next time Shrovetide will land on the seventeenth day of February, will be 2026. If this does not further aid in proving that Easter Sunday has NOTHING to do with the anniversary of the resurrection of our Lord & Savior, Yêhôshûa ha Mâshîyach, (JESUS Christ) and EVERYTHING to do with the preservation of the PAGAN PRACTICES, of the Occult of Rome, (currently known as the Roman Catholic Church) you just simply DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH!
“Like many other European holidays, the “pancake day” was originally a pagan holiday.[4] Before the Christian era, the Slavs believed that the change of seasons was a struggle between Jarilo, the god of vegetation, fertility and springtime, and the evil spirits of cold and darkness. People believed that they had to help Jarilo fight against winter and bring in the spring. The most important part of Shrovetide week (the whole celebration of the arrival of spring lasted one week) was making and eating pancakes. The hot, round pancakes symbolized the sun. The Slavs believed that by eating pancakes, they got the power, light and warmth of the sun. The first pancake was usually put on a window for the spirits of the ancestors.[5] On the last day of Shrovetide week some pancakes and other food were burnt in a bonfire as a sacrifice to the pagan gods.[6]”
Jer 7:17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
Jer 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
Jer 7:19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
Jer 7:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
Traditions:
“In Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island small tokens are frequently cooked in the pancakes. Children take delight in discovering the objects, which are intended to be divinatory. For example, the person who receives a coin will be wealthy; a nail indicates that they will become or marry a carpenter.[12][13]”
Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
“The children of the hamlet of Whitechapel, Lancashire keep alive a local tradition by visiting local households and asking “please a pancake”, to be rewarded with oranges or sweets. It is thought the tradition arose when farm workers visited the wealthier farm and manor owners to ask for pancakes or pancake fillings.[19]”
“In the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, a mummer known as the “Oats Goat” traditionally is led from house to house on Shrove Tuesday. He dances with the women of the house, and in return they feed him and give him money. Like the Fastnachtsbär (or Shrovetide Bear) in parts of Germany, the Oats Goat is dressed in straw and wears horns on his head. He is associated with fertility; at one time it was widely believed that dancing with the Fastnachtsbär ensured the growth of crops.”
Type of Holiday: Religious (Christian)
Date of Observation: Between February 3 and March 9; day before Ash Wednesday
Where Celebrated: England, Europe, Scandinavia, United States, and by Christians all over the world
Symbols and Customs: Games, Pancakes, Shrovetide Bear
Related Holidays: Ash Wednesday, Carnival, Lent
ORIGINS:
Shrove Tuesday is a “Christian holiday” related to ASH WEDNESDAY and LENT. The last three days before ASH WEDNESDAY were referred to as “Shrovetide,” traditionally a period of penitence. The final day, Shrove Tuesday, was the last opportunity for Christians to confess their sins before the start of LENT. (Confess their sins? Or revel in them?)
Also known as Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French) or Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday was also a time for merrymaking. Back in the days when LENT required wearing dark clothing, eating meals without meat, and banning all forms of pleasure and entertainment for forty days, it was customary for people to have a good time on the day before these restrictions went into effect. Because they had to use up all the fat, eggs, and butter in the house, housewives used these ingredients to make doughnuts, PANCAKES , and other rich foods. In England, Shrove Monday was sometimes referred to as Collop Monday for the same reason-a collop being a slice of meat. In addition to eating more than usual, people would play GAMES and hold costume parades.(Because Costumes & Food go hand in hand?) The Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans is typical of the masquerades and dancing in the streets that still take place in many countries on this day.
SYMBOLS AND CUSTOMS:
Games
It was customary to hold seasonal games and contests on Shrove Tuesday in England and elsewhere in Europe. Such activities may originally have been designed to promote fertility and conquer the forces of evil at the beginning of spring. In England, it was customary for parishes to divide themselves into two opposing groups and engage in “rough and tumbles” or a game of football. The earliest recorded game of Shrove Tuesday football took place at Chester in 1533. By the eigtheenth century, Shrovetide games had become considerably more brutal, and often involved cockfighting or hen-thrashing. Even the football games had a tendency to get out of hand, resulting in broken legs and other injuries. As many as a thousand or more people would congregate at these events, and many would end up dunking each other in the nearest river. Shop windows were often shattered by tugs-of-war going on in the streets.
Although Shrovetide games were a widespread form of pre-Lenten celebration, they eventually died out in most areas because they were too dangerous and caused too much damage. They survived in a few small towns, however, up until the present century.
Pancakes (Are you sick of pancakes yet?)
Shrove Tuesday is believed to be a survival of the ancient Roman Fornacalia, or Feast of Ovens, which took place around February 17. A movable feast that lasted a week, it involved making an offering of far, a flour made from the oldest kind of Italian wheat, which was then roasted in the oven and crushed in a primitive mill and served in the form of cakes.
Centuries later, Shrove Tuesday became associated with frying pancakes, which gave housewives an opportunity to use up their leftover lard before the Lenten fast. Before the Reformation, eating anything made with fats or butter was strictly forbidden during Lent, and making pancakes (called bannocks in Scotland), doughnuts, or sweet buns was a form of thrift as well as self-indulgence. The typical menu served on this day in many European countries is still pancakes with sausages, bacon, or meat scraps.
Because so many pancakes were made on this day, they also featured prominently in the GAMES that were played. The most famous is the Pancake Race held since 1445 in Olney, England. The participants must wear a skirt, an apron, and a headscarf (Cross dressing. Lovely!) and flip their pancakes in the air three times as they run the 415-yard course.
Shrovetide Bear
In Western Europe, especially in rural areas, it was traditional at one time to dramatize the “death” of CARNIVAL on Shrove Tuesday by condemning to death a scarecrow or strawman dressed in an old pair of trousers and known as the Shrovetide Bear or Fastnachtsbär. The effigy would often be 
beheaded, laid in a coffin, and buried in the churchyard on ASH WEDNESDAY. Sometimes it would be hanged, burned, drowned, or thrown in the village dump. In some areas, it was believed that if the last woman to marry jumped over the fire in which the Shrovetide Bear was burned, it would make her fertile.
Oats Goats
In Bohemia in the eastern Czech Republic, a person in a mask or disguise, known as the “Oats Goat,” is led from house to house on Shrove Tuesday. He dances with the women and, in return, receives food, money, and drink. Like the Shrovetide Bear, the Oats Goat is dressed in straw and wears horns on his head. He is also associated with fertility, because at one time it was believed that dancing with him ensured the growth of crops. Women would pluck bits of straw from him and put them in their hens’ nests to guarantee a good supply of eggs.
The Modern Mardi Gras Traditions:
Masks
“Masks are an integral part of Mardi Gras culture. During early Mardi Gras celebrations hundreds of years ago, masks were a way for their wearers to escape class constraints and social demands. Mask wearers could mingle with people of all different classes and could be whomever they desired, at least for a few days.
Among early man, masking was considered a conduit to the supernatural… The individual becomes the character the mask depicts…. Masking (or costuming) altered the state of consciousness”– (New Orleans Times Picayune, 1987).
In the same article, Fuller quotes Fred Koenig, a Ph. D., professor of social psychology at Tulane University who continues to reveal:
“Masks are a way of being anonymous, and if you wear a mask, you take on a different persona. Among the early tribes, men who wore masks were considered crueler toward their enemies than those who did not. Certainly nobody is claiming that masking at Carnival has anything to do with cruelty. But, Koenig says, “You can be a little drunker, a little wilder, a little more primitive.” Furthermore, at Carnival people will be more tolerant of you, he says. Normal rules are gone. Traditional routines are put on hold (ibid).”
Flambeaux Tradition
Flambeaux, meaning flame-torch, was the tradition of people carrying shredded rope soaked in pitch through the streets so that nighttime revelers could enjoy festivities after dark. They were originally carried by slaves and free African Americans trying to earn a little money. Crowds tossed coins at the torch carriers for lighting the way for the floats.
Today, flambeaux carriers have turned the tradition into something of a performance. Torch bearers dance and spin their kerosene lights – something the original parade planners didn’t intend.
The Throwing Of Beads
The tradition of bead throwing starts with their original colors. The color of the beads was determined by the king of the first daytime Carnival in 1872. He wanted the colors to be royal colors – purple for justice, gold for power and green for faith. The idea was to toss the color to the person who exhibited the color’s meaning. (I haven’t been to Mardi Gras, but from what I have seen portrayed in the media, and in Hollywood, I am guessing the King kept all of the Purple and Green beads for himself?)The beads were originally made of glass, which, as you can imagine, weren’t the best for tossing around. It wasn’t until the beads were made of plastic that throwing them really became a staple of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
King of Carnival
Every year in New Orleans, a king is crowned. His name is Rex: the king of the Carnival, and he first ascended to the throne in 1872. History has it that the very first Rex was actually the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia who, upon a visit to the U.S., befriended U.S. Army officer George Armstrong Custer 
during a planned hunting expedition in the Midwest. The Duke’s visit to Louisiana was organized by New Orleans businessmen looking to lure tourism and business to their city following the devastating American Civil War. Every year, the Rex Organization chooses a new Rex, always a prominent person in New Orleans. He is given the symbolic Key to the City by the Mayor.
Handing Out Zulu Coconuts
The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club is one of the oldest traditionally black “krewes” – or parade hosts – in Mardi Gras history. The organization is known for handing out Zulu coconuts, or “golden nuggets.” (Get excited, Illuminati nuts!) The earliest reference to these coconuts appears in 1910.
The first coconuts were left in their original hairy state, but years later, Zulu members started painting and decorating them. Getting a Zulu coconut is one of the most sought after traditions during Mardi Gras.
Other Lesser Known Facts:
⇒Though Mardi Gras technically refers only to Fat Tuesday, the Mardi Gras season actually begins on Epiphany, a “Christian” holiday celebrated on January 6 that is otherwise known as Three Kings Day or the Twelfth Day of Christmas. In Brazil and many other countries, this period between Epiphany and Fat Tuesday is known as Carnival. Whichever name you prefer to use, the revelries of Mardi Gras last until midnight tonight, when Ash Wednesday ushers in 40 days of Lent.
⇒Mardi Gras’ origins lie in ancient pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, such as Saturnalia and Lupercalia. Some contend, however, that Mardi Gras-type festivities popped up solely as a result of the Catholic Church’s discouragement of sex and meat during Lent, but since the RCC is only an extension of the Cult of Rome, we can conclude this is not the case.
⇒New Orleans did not host the first North American Mardi Gras.
Mardi Gras is believed to have arrived in North America on March 3, 1699, when the French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville camped about 60 miles downriver from the future site of New Orleans. Knowing it was Fat Tuesday back in France, Iberville named the spot Point du Mardi Gras and held a small gala. A few years later, French soldiers and settlers feasted and wore masks as part of Mardi Gras festivities in the newly founded city of Mobile (present-day Alabama). To this day, Mobile claims to have the oldest annual Mardi Gras celebration in the United States.
⇒Mardi Gras in New Orleans survived early efforts at suppression.
Mardi Gras got going in New Orleans soon after the city’s founding in 1718. The Spanish, who ruled the Big Easy from 1762 to 1800, apparently cracked down on certain Mardi Gras rituals (though documentation from that period is scarce). U.S. authorities did much the same after taking control in 1803, banning both masked balls and public disguises. Nonetheless, they eventually accepted the festival’s existence. The first recorded Mardi Gras street parade in New Orleans took place in 1837, by which time the city had transformed from a small backwater into a major metropolis.
⇒Twenty years later, six men organized a secret society called the Mistick Krewe of Comus. By holding a parade with the theme of “The Demon Actors in Milton’s Paradise Lost,” along with a lavish grand ball, Comus reversed the declining popularity of Mardi Gras and helped establish New Orleans as its clear epicenter in the United States. This year, more than 1 million visitors are expected to attend.
⇒Other secret societies quickly followed Comus’ lead.
In 1872 the Krewe of Rex and the Knights of Momus began paying for parades and balls of their own. They were followed a decade later by the Krewe of Proteus.
⇒These early societies were exclusively male and white, so women and blacks formed their own groups, such as Les Mysterieuses and the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club.
⇒Dozens of krewes of all types have proliferated since then, including the science fiction-themed Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus, whose name is a hybrid of the “Star Wars” character and the Roman god of wine. Despite being less than three years old, this krewe managed to convince Peter Mayhew, (the actor who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies franchise), to ride in its parade last month, atop a Millennium Falcon float and alongside a mascot called Bar2D2. (Career not going so well, I take it?)
⇒ King Cake is only eaten during Mardi Gras.
Available only during the Mardi Gras season, king cake is typically made with brioche dough. Braided and laced with cinnamon, the dough is then glazed with purple, green and gold sugar or covered in icing in those same Mardi Gras colors. What really sets king cake apart from other desserts, however, is the small plastic baby hidden inside. Whoever finds the baby in his or her slice must buy the next cake or perhaps host the next party. (There are other figures hidden in the cake that have various meanings- baby also means you will have a child. Here we see the practice of divination repeated)
From its often rowdy and risqué beginnings, this American edition of Carnival mixed with South American, Jamaican, and American Indian influence was destined to become an outlet for the desires of the flesh. As early as the 17th century, the Protestant church’s policy was to denounce Carnival as an idolatrous invention of the Pope. Even in the 15th century,
Naogeorgus of Kirchemair described the immoral festival in his poetic work titled “Popish Kingdom”: (Which is VERY HAUNTING… creepy, creepy, I might add!)
”Now when at length the pleasant time
of Shrove-tide comes in place,
And cruel fasting days at hand
approach with solemn grace:
Then old and young are both as made,
as guests of Bacchus (god of wine) feast,
And four days long they tipple square,
and feed and never rest.
Down goes the hogs in every place,
and puddings everywhere…
the dice are shaken and tossed,
and cards apace they tear:
In every house are shouts and cries
and mirth, and revel route,
And dainty tables spread, and all
be set with guests about:
With sundry plays and Christmas games,
and fear and shame away,
The tongue is set at liberty,
and hath no kind of stay.
All things are lawful then and done,
no pleasure passed by,
That in their minds they can devise,”
as if they then should die.”
The celebration has grown over the years into an enormous affair. Numerous “krewes,” or “secret 
organizations,” that sponsor specific parades or floats have arisen. Approximately one half of them sport the names of Pagan gods, such as Rex, Bacchus, Chaos, Nemesis, Atlas, Hermes, Isis, Selene, Thor, Comus, Zeus, and Dionysus. This extravaganza has grown so large that people come from various parts of the world to let loose and enjoy the festivities.
Of course, included, in the thoroughfare- this cesspool of sin, is plenty of liquor, nudity, sexual immorality, black magic, and all- right in the heart, of the voodoo capital, of North America. A riotous promenade that encourages millions to gorge themselves on all of their fleshly sins, before abstaining, over the falsified, Biblicaly unfounded, Lent season, that was to follow. (no doubt, in historical times gone by, when the provisions for the winter, gathered from the previous fall, were at that time becoming scarce! Sneaky Romans.).
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Rom 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Consider the Origin (As if I REALLY Need to Say More!)
The Mardi Gras festival: Filled with excess of every kind, is an example of human nature run wild. But unmasking its true origin reveals an orgiastic celebration honoring the gods of licentiousness. An article written in the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia relates that Carnival is a:
“… communal celebration, especially the religious celebration in Catholic countries that takes place just before Lent. Since early times carnivals have been accompanied by parades, masquerades, pageants, and other forms of revelry that had their origins in pre‑Christian pagan rites, particularly fertility rites that were connected with the coming of spring and the rebirth of vegetation. One of the first recorded instances of an annual spring festival is the festival of Osiris in Egypt; it commemorated the renewal of life brought about by the yearly flooding of the Nile. In Athens, during the 6th century B.C., a yearly celebration in honor of the god (of wine) Dionysus was the first recorded instance of the use of a float. It was during the Roman Empire that carnivals reached an unparalleled peak of civil disorder and licentiousness. The major Roman carnivals were the Bacchanalia, the Saturnalia, and the Lupercalia. In Europe the tradition of spring fertility celebrations persisted well into Christian times, where carnivals reached their peak during the 14th and 15th centuries. Because carnivals are deeply rooted in pagan superstitions and the folklore of Europe, the Roman Catholic Church was unable to stamp them out and finally accepted many of them as part of church activity… The church succeeded in dominating the activities of the carnivals, and eventually they became directly related to the coming of Lent (Carnival, 6th edition).” (From an Encyclopedia- Not a “Jesus Freak,” so, don’t take MY word for it!)
The transformation of pagan rites became standard practice of the Roman church; their means of converting the masses while not causing hostility among the people by removing the holidays they enjoyed. This is also noted by Weiser who wrote:
“Since carnival is a time of feasting and reveling, it was only natural that many elements of pre-Christian spring lore should have become part of the celebration. Lent excluded the boisterous practices of mumming and masquerading, so what better time could be found for it than the gay days of the carnival? … The pre Christian element of the carnival frolics in the Latin countries seems to be a growth of the Roman Saturnalia, a pagan feast in honor of the field god of Saturnus held annually in December… The Popes as temporal rulers of their state, acknowledged the carnival practice in Rome by regulating its observance, correcting its abuses, and providing entertainment for the masses (Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, pp. 166-167).”
While the Catholic church may have attempted to “regulate” the festivities of Carnival, it has clearly retained the depravity of its pagan origins. The truth is, no one could ever wash away the ungodliness of this celebration and make it holy because God was NEVER a part of this holiday.
The problem is, there is a FILTHY LIE THAT THIS, and other “Holy Days” associated with it are CHRISTIAN & originated in the CHURCH. The holidays of Epiphany, Mardi Gras (Carnival), Ash Wednesday, and Lent are all part of a shocking man-made religious system. As these ceremonies are investigated, it becomes clear that they all have a common source linking them together in a chain of pagan observances that ultimately lead to the Easter (Ishtar/Ashterah) celebration.
“Carnival is the season of merrymaking that precedes Lent, an important Christian observance especially significant for Roman Catholics. Carnival season traditionally begins on Epiphany, January 6, and ends at midnight on Shrove Tuesday”(p.10 “Customs & Holidays Around The World by Lavinia Dobler)
The wait until the well known celebration of Mardi Gras is initiated by the winter observance of Epiphany. But what does this holiday represent, and how did it get started? Surprisingly, this celebration actually predates the creation of Christmas, and was never sanctioned by God.
The faithful early Church observed no holiday celebrations unless found in the Bible. Eventually, true Christians were forced underground by heavy Roman persecution. In the fourth century Emperor Constantine pronounced Christianity legal by his famous Edict of Toleration. This decree brought diverse groups of believers out of hiding. Free to observe their faith, they argued over doctrine and many separations occurred. Circumstances and times of the year involving Christ’s birth and baptism were among the first issues debated. These disputes would continue for years.
God however, can not be debated:
1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1Ti 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
1Ti 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
1Ti 4:5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
1Ti 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
1Ti 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
1Ti 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
1Ti 4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1Ti 4:11 These things command and teach.
As Christianity grew with the expansion of the Roman Empire, apostate church leaders adopted various dogmas, sacraments, and celebrations from the pagan cultures that had been conquered by the empire. Harboring visions of a worldwide Christian order, the Roman church/state government forced their teachings upon civilizations they now occupied. Yet it was the church that experienced the most dramatic change. As the famous historian Will Durant later wrote:
“Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. The Greek mind, dying, came to a transmigrated life in the theology and liturgy of the Church… The Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the Mass. Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretism result. From Egypt came the idea of a divine trinity… the adoration of the Mother and Child, and the mystic theosophy that made Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, and obscured the Christian creed… From Phrygia came the worship of the Great Mother; from Syria the resurrection drama of Adonis; from Thrace, perhaps, the cult of Dionysus, the dying and saving god… The Mithraic ritual so closely resembled the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass that Christian fathers charged the Devil with inventing these similarities to mislead frail minds. Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient pagan world (The Story of Civilization, Vol. III Caesar and Christ, p. 595).”
EPIPHANY – first recognized in 361 AD, otherwise known as “Illumination” or “Festival of Lights”
Since this day was supposed to portray the advent of Christ as the light of the world, the Roman church modified elements of the winter Saturnalia to form the celebrations of Christmas and the Festival of Lights. This transformation of a pagan observance is noted by Francis Weiser in the Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs:
“The liturgical feast of Christi’s “manifestation” originated in the orient, in Egypt, during the third century. Modern scholars explain the date (January 6) by the fact that the Egyptians celebrated on this day their great festival of the winter solstice in honor of the sun god. The Church authorities opposed this pagan observance with a feast of the true manifestation (nativity) of the Divine Saviour King. The Christian feast, in turn, occasioned among the heretical Gnostics a feast of Christ’s baptism, celebrated on the same day (p. 141).”
Like the pagans who originally celebrated believers were encouraged to put lights on their homes & in trees until Epiphany, or the “12th day of Christmas”
“In France, a fat ox has a prominent role in this celebration. A child termed, “the king of butchers,” rides in a decorated cart pulled by this animal. People wear brightly colored costumes, throw confetti, and enjoy a battle of the flowers as they toss various flora at one another. They toot horns and attend masked balls in the evening. At celebration’s end, a masked man‑like doll is burned in effigy. In Portugal and Spain, celebrants also throw flowers, attend masquerade balls, and watch bullfights. In the celebrations of Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and other European countries, the custom is to wear unique and sometimes ugly masks while they celebrate with parades, floats, and erotic dancing (Customs and Holidays around the World, p. 11‑12).”
The custom of gallivanting about the streets while wearing masks dates back to pre Roman times and a wanton pagan festival known as the Lupercalia. Douglas again spoke of this ancient rite and reveals how it entered the Mardi Gras celebration bringing its sinful purpose with it:
“Some scholars claim it was also occasioned by a pagan Egyptian legend that at the time of the winter solstice celebration (January 6) the gods turned water into wine, and that the Church wished to replace that pagan fiction by the memory of the historic miracle of Christ at Cana (Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, p. 145).”
By connecting a divine miracle to a pagan feast, the Roman church made it possible for new converts to continue using symbols of their pagan holiday while redefining their meaning. The use of alcohol continues to be a motivating factor of the wanton behavior during Mardi Gras
Ash Wednesday:
“It was the practice in Rome for penitents to begin their period of public penance on the first day of Lent. They were sprinkled with the ashes, dressed in sackcloth and obliged to remain apart until they were reconciled with the Christian community on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter. When these practices fell into disuse (8th‑10th century), the beginning of the penitential season of Lent was symbolized by placing ashes on the heads of the entire congregation... In the modern Roman Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday the worshiper receives a cross marked on the forehead with ashes… (Vol. 1, p. 620).”
on Ash Wednesday, people mark their foreheads as a symbol that they are fasting. However, Christ actually forbids such public displays. (Matt 6:16-18)
But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. (Galatians 4:9‑11, NKJ).
Those who claim to be worshiping God by their observance of Epiphany, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are worshiping Him in vain! They may not realize it, but they are doing the opposite of what God commands. As Mark wrote in his gospel:
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Mark 7:7).
(It’s frightening just how much the parade spectators seem to be worshiping the scene! Just Look Below: Compare it to a church, praise and worship scene (pictured on the right), to the Mardi Gras Idol Worship, shown on the left! You can see ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE!!! )
Each of these celebrations has the same source. Their birth place is Babylon with its false holidays and licentious doctrine. Each observance has a link connecting one to another in such a way that keeps people in a state of spiritual blindness. As the ancient prophet Isaiah explained, from God’s point of view, such people are spiritually intoxicated:
Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men (Isaiah 29:9‑13).
Those who participate in these “religious” holidays are drunk, but not with wine. They are inebriated by the false doctrines concocted by the minds of bogus ministers. They may read what the Almighty has commanded, but they do not understand it. They are blinded to the truth, and so they create their own worship from the traditions, ideas, and perceptions of men.
For example, when the Scriptures speak prophetically, a woman portrays a church. The Bible foretold that such a woman would develop through the ages having enormous influence over various civilizations. Calling herself the Roman Catholic Church, this religious entity entered into relationships with various kings of the earth. When the Roman Empire united with this religion, it called itself the “Holy Roman Empire.” The church/state government brought various kings under its control, and the church absorbed many pagan celebrations giving them Christian names.
The Apostle John wrote of this church, calling her a “great whore:”
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration (Revelation 17:1‑6).
When it came to the civil side of this union, God also identified it symbolically. Through John, God revealed the time of Christ’s return when He will finally destroy this false religious system. As his vision unfolds, the apostle depicts an angel who:
… cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues (Revelation 18:2‑4).
The Almighty God has identified the source of these extra-biblical holidays and celebrations.
We need to take heed and understand what they are and where they came from!We need to know why true Christians must not have anything to do with them.
We must break free of these false religious chains that bind us and blind us; so that we can finally come to see the glorious TRUTH of God!
Blood of Yehoshua 