Growing up in rural South Dakota never presented the opportunity to experience Mardi Gras the way different parts of the world experience it. Honestly, most of the time I would be in the first days of Lent and I would just then remember that the Tuesday where you can get away eating whatever you want, was already over. This year, Gaming didn’t let that happen.
The day began innocently enough with a class of Christian Marriage. Afterwards, a couple friends and I went to the post office to mail some letters. Ironically enough, mine was to my cloistered Carmelite sister—if only she knew the price of mailing a letter on Mardi Gras! We entered the post office and saw a sight one never sees in the United States—a plate of donuts and a tray of various liquor shots at 11:20 a.m.
One of my friends mailed her letters first, and as I was mailing my letter, another clerk came out and tried to interest us in some of the shots. So, being the innocent student she is, my friend took the shot. However, she made it look like it was wonderful. When my turn soon followed, I chose the same one she did. She had said it was good…so it must be. Well, she’s a good actress, apparently, because it didn’t taste quite so good. It was actually pretty terrible, but the clerks were so pleased that we were joining in the celebration that I managed not to make a face.
Victim number three went through the line and downed a shot. Needless to say, we all took a complimentary donut to improve the way our stomachs felt. In Spar (the grocery store) there was also a tray of shots, but we didn’t indulge ourselves. Later in the day, I saw children running around with vividly colored hair and adults gathered in a circle passing around a bottle. The way Austria celebrates Mardi Gras is quite different than the way the United States does. Of course, here in Europe there is a completely different mentality about drinking and alcohol in general. My prayer is that in Europe Lent is celebrated more radically as well. I hope my sister understands the great sacrifice I had to make in mailing a letter to her; I did it all in the name of love!
A post by Trish Irvine, Spring 2010.
_______________________
On Mardi Gras, the students celebrated with Salsa dancing in the Kartause Ballroom:
No comments:
Post a Comment