You're listening to Catholic Sprouts, the daily podcast for Catholic kids that strives to plant seeds of faith.

Hey there, Sprouts. Today is Tuesday, March 5th, 2019. It is also Mardi Gras today, since tomorrow we will be celebrating Ash Wednesday.

This week on the Catholic Sprouts podcast, we are looking at some remarkable saints that will help us be motivated to have a great

Lent. And we are also talking about our church's transition from ordinary time into Lent.

And that is exactly what we are talking about today on the celebration of Marty Graw.

So let's talk about Marty Graw. Now first of all, the words

Marty Grah are French words. They mean Fat Tuesday. So Marta Gras is something that will

always be celebrated on a Tuesday because Ash Wednesday is something that will always be celebrated on a Wednesday.

Now, perhaps you've heard about Marty Gras celebrations throughout the world or even in New Orleans

in the United States. And perhaps you think that these aren't necessarily holy or Christian celebrations.

Well, you're right, actually.

The way that Mardi Gras is celebrated in many places, it really doesn't make you believe that it has any Christian connection.

But it does.

Marty Gras has always been linked to Ashwins. Christian connection, but it does.

Marty Grah has always been linked to Ash Wednesday.

Now, why do we have something called Fat Tuesday before we enter Lent?

Well, because of everything we talked about last week with what we're expected to do and think and hear and feel during Lent. Lent is a time of

quiet. It is a time of fasting and it is a time of repairing all the damage that sin has done to us.

Now that does not mean that we have one big sinful day before we jump into Lent.

It means, however, that we can have a little bit of feasting and a little bit of fun before we jump into Lent.

Now, the basic history of Mardi Gras is that long ago, especially in Europe, nearly everyone was Christian.

And Christian feast days played a big role in everyone's life.

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