Taking a break from the normal lesson plans to cover yourself in purple and green beads, eat cake and candy, and watch vibrant parades go by is an opportunity most students would only dream of.
To LFHS students enrolled in French, that dream becomes a reality once a year. However, Mardi Gras–which directly translates to “Fat Tuesday”–is so much more than just a party.
Mardi Gras marks the day before the period of Lent, the 40 days of fasting between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Holding a day of celebration before a time of penance has been a tradition since Pagan times; this custom continued to grow as Christianity spread throughout Europe. Participators would go all out by gorging themselves on the fat-filled food they would have to abstain from for the next six weeks.
The holiday was officially established in 1699 when a French-Canadian explorer named Jean-Baptiste arrived at a place just south of New Orleans on the day before Lent. He named the ground “Pointe du Mardi Gras” giving the celebration its iconic name.
Ever since, Mardi Gras has served as a festive-filled day of community bonding and commemorating the preservation of an ancient tradition.
French teacher Madame Heather Song provided some insight to her students on how the holiday is celebrated around the world.
“Nice, France has a huge carnival celebration right up the beach of the Mediterranean,” Madame Song said. “In one parade called the Bataille de Fleurs, the people on the floats throw thousands of flowers to the crowds.”
Of course, New Orleans goes all out as well.
“There are two weeks full of parades, secret societies, parties, and balls,” Madame Song said.
Despite Lake Forest being around 800 miles from New Orleans, the community is sure to take part in the fun. Each year, local stores such as Sunset Foods or Deerfields Bakery offer Mardi Gras goods, including the famous King Cake.
The King Cake entails a small plastic baby, symbolizing Jesus, being hidden inside a ring-shaped pastry covered in glaze. Each person takes a slice, and whoever receives the baby is responsible for hosting the next Mardi Gras party. The tradition originally used beans, but supposedly the switch to babies stemmed from a coincidence when a baker with a surplus of mini toy babies was trying to find a way to utilize his extra inventory.
The French Department partakes in bringing the fun to school as well by utilizing it as an exciting way to learn more about culture in the French-speaking world.
“We have our own version of King Cake, and whoever finds the baby gets to be the king or queen of their class for the day,” Song said. “We also play games to learn about the traditions of Mardi Gras throughout the Francophone world.”
Incorporating culture into the French classroom is not only fun, but a great way to improve language skills. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has found that language and culture are inseparable.
ACTFL’s World-Readiness Standards reveal that understanding the culture behind a language allows students to make connections and be more effective while communicating in real world situations.
While teachers help bring Mardi Gras traditions to life through lessons and activities, students are the ones who truly feel the excitement of the day.
“Mardi Gras is something that I am really glad we get to enjoy in class. I love celebrating French culture as well as the language,” said junior Audrey Adamo.
Year after year, Mardi Gras continues to be a fun staple in LFHS french classrooms.
“It’s such a unique holiday and so interesting to learn about,” said junior Madeline Schnack.
