I Saw The Moon

RAMADAN, LENT, PANCAKES, LOVE, ASH AND CARNIVALS

Happy Valentines Day! It's also Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent - the fasting period preceding Easter. Talking of fasting, it's also Ramadan which kicked off on Monday in the UK because that was when the new moon appeared in the sky.

I found it quite interesting that all these overlapped this year, a leap year, in February, the leap month which has February 29th the leap day. There is a tradition on this day that women can get on one knee and propose to men :)

On Monday I saw the moon on my way to the supermarket. I stopped to take some photos as it was clear in the sky. We had a lovely clear sky day. I thought of my muslim friends and how they'd be rejoicing on seeing the new moon.

On Tuesday my social media stream was filled with all the Fat Tuesday, "Mardi Gras" in French, carnivals and festivals that are taking place all over the Catholic influenced world. This is particularly flamboyant in the Americas, where there are all out carnivals every year. The Rio Carnival is perhaps the most world famous, but there are huge parades in Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica too as well as the other Caribbean islands. The New Orleans Mardi Gras is also another famous one, happening in the United States, because Louisiana used to be French and, as such, was influenced by Catholicism too.

Over here in the UK, another expression of Fat Tuesday, or "Shrove Tuesday" is "Pancake Day". The idea is that you get rid of dairy products, which are forbidden to eat during Lent, by making pancakes and pigging out. The decadence and gluttony is linked to preparing for Lent as well, much like the carnivals and festivals.

Ash Wednesday is characterised by people walking around with crosses on their foreheads drawn on using ash. In places that are religious, it's a reflective and solemn day and it marks the beginning of the Lent fasting period. This year, however, it falls on the same day as Valentines Day, a day of love and celebration. It's a bit of a clash if you ask me.

Peace & Love,

Adé