Fat Tuesday

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Today is Fat Tuesday

Definition: Fat Tuesday is the traditional name for the day before Ash Wednesday the first day of Lent. It is more commonly known as Mardi Gras, which is simply Fat Tuesday in French. It gets its name from the custom, in many Catholic countries, of marking the day with feasting before the fasting season of Lent begins.

Lent is a Catholic (and others) tradition of giving something-up or fasting something for a number of days and weeks before Good Friday and Easter.  The purpose of Lent is to prepare your heart for the Easter season by fasting, self-denial, to track on a weak and imperfect way to the "giving-up" of Jesus.

The way some prepare themselves is to get tanked and party in debaucherous ways the day before they start preparing their hearts for God.

For the Muslim faith a similar thing happens during Ramadan:

Definition: Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God.

Effectively what happens is that the Muslims fast all day, get all grumpy from their headaches from not eating. Then they party all night after the sun goes down only to start it all again in the morning (except they are hung-over and they have 28 or 29 more days to go.

This is exactly why I am taking this whole year to get myself ready to be 50.  I don't want to be all wasted come January 1st.

I also don't think it honors God to sin a whole bunch the day before your going to be super righteous the next day.

chris