Ash Wednesday is a holiday here in the Cayman Islands. It is a RELIGIOUS DAY!!

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar. Occurring 46 days before Easter, it is a moveable fast that can fall as early as February 4 and as late as March 10.

According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke; Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting. Of the 46 days until Easter, six are Sundays and Sundays are considered “feast” days during Lent

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a reminder and celebration of human mortality, and as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered from the burning of the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.

This practice is common in much of Christendom, being celebrated mainly by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Methodists.

The above plus Presbyterians and the Eastern Orthodox observe the Season of Lent.

Lent is a solemn observance in the liturgical year of many Christian denominations, lasting for a period of approximately six weeks leading up to Easter Sunday. In the general Latin-rite and most Western denominations Lent is taken to run from Ash Wednesday to Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) or to Easter Eve.

The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the death and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, which then culminates in the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxuries as a form of penitence.

A Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon, Mardi Gras dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival, it is celebrated in many countries around the world–mainly those with large Roman Catholic populations–on the day before the religious season of Lent begins. Brazil, Venice and New Orleans play host to some of the holiday’s most famous public festivities, drawing thousands of tourists and revelers every year.  (NOTE: the bold type).

Traditionally, in the days leading up to Lent, merrymakers would binge on all the meat, eggs, milk and cheese that remained in their homes, preparing for several weeks of eating only fish and fasting. In France, the day before Ash Wednesday came to be known as Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday.”

On Mardi Gras in 1827, a group of students donned colourful costumes and danced through the streets of New Orleans, emulating the revelry they’d observed while visiting Paris. Ten years later, the first recorded New Orleans Mardi Gras parade took place, a tradition that continues to this day. In 1857, a secret society of New Orleans businessmen called the Mistick Krewe of Comus organized a torch-lit Mardi Gras procession with marching bands and rolling floats, setting the tone for future public celebrations in the city. Since then, krewes have remained a fixture of the Carnival scene throughout Louisiana. Other lasting customs include throwing beads and other trinkets, wearing masks, decorating floats and eating King Cake.

I have taken great pains to explain the meanings of Ash Wednesday, Lent and Mardi Gras, and all have been taken from recognised authorities. If you go on the Internet it is easy for you to see where I found the references.

The reason for so doing is that when the Cayman islands National Festival, Pirates Week, decided in the Wisdom According to Bernie Bush (the director of Pirates Week) to instigate a Grand Cayman Mardi Gras on ASH WEDNESDAY, I politely told him it was a mistake and should not be called Mardi Gras because Mardi Gras EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD closes at midnight on Fat Tuesday – the day before Ash Wednesday. I also told him it was an affront to the major religions on these Islands.

My politeness fell on his deaf ears and he must have been struck dumb as a year later I am still waiting a verbal response.

What I have received is a response by way of a second year of his so called out of date Mardi Gras held on a religious holiday that is OFFENSIVE to all the Christian denominations here on a country that promotes its Christianity.

The Cayman Islands is so Christian you cannot normally consume alcohol in a public bar after 12 midnight on a Saturday because of Sunday. You cannot sale alcohol in a public place on a Sunday until after 12 noon and the same 12 midnight cut off also applies.

And Mr. Bernie Bush is not only the one to blame, although it was his dreadful idea. Someone in the Government had to have agreed to it. Agree to a public dance booze-up on the waterfront where the tourist ships land their passengers. Passengers having the largest nationality in the Caribbean cruises is HISPANIC/LATINO AMERICANS. The largest group of church worshippers on a cruise ship is HISPANIC/LATINO AMERICANS. The pastor on board cruise ships is ROMAN CATHOLIC. 68% of all Hispanics/LATINO AMERICANS is Roman Catholic.

What a dreadful message the Cayman Islands is sending to our visitors.

Jesus Christ got angry when he “entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons; and he would not allow any one to carry anything through the temple. And he taught, and said to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11.

I am no Jesus Christ and my anger is probably not classed as righteous anger. In fact I am furious. It was with great difficulty I was able to take communion at the Anglican Ash Wednesday Service today (13) because of my ill feelings towards a fellow man.

I however, did manage to pray for him and for myself.

I also pray the next Cayman Islands government does not give permission for this affront to Christians and continue to be the only country in the world to “celebrate” Mardi Gras not on Fat/Shrove Tuesday but on the Holy Day of Ash Wednesday.

Can’t we just enjoy the wholesome Agricultural Show that is also a Government function? Why would Government associate itself with this abomination of an activity? Haven’t the Cayman Islands had enough bad publicity? Do we want to be labeled as Heathens? I look upon Mardi Gras on Ash Wednesday as heathen!

And judging by a sermon I heard today I am not the only one who holds similar views.