A ‘Carnaval’ Of A Celebration

By Eliza Hallabeck

Masks, music and food were some of the treats waiting for Newtown High School students who take French in the school’s Lecture Hall this past Tuesday, February 24, to help them celebrate “Fat Tuesday,” or Mardi Gras.

Celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras is more typically associated with New Orleans, but as students learned on Tuesday, the celebration, which culminates the period of Carnaval, takes place around the world where there is a French influence. Carnaval is the season of celebration between January 6 and Mardi Gras, and was also part of the students’ learning experience on Tuesday.

Language Department Chair Paula Greenfield said the purpose of the day was to share different cultures celebrations of the Carnaval period with the students.

When students arrived in the Lecture Hall for their class period they created masks before having food provided by Old Oak Restaurant in Danbury. Students had salad and jambalaya provided by the restaurant, and students had prepared King Cakes, which Ms Greenfield said are a traditional dessert. A figurine was hidden inside one of the cakes, and the person who got that piece of cake became the queen or king of the celebration.

“Some of them have never heard about Mardi Gras,” said Ms Greenfield.

In Quebec, Ms Greenfield said, the celebration is called Winter Carnaval and “they do all kinds winter sports.”

In Nice, France, it is celebrated with a parade and in Guadeloupe, an island group in the Caribbean Sea, the celebration is longer, she said.

According to the packet given to the students for the day, French colonists in Quebec first celebrated Carnaval in 1874. It reads that the winters in Quebec were long and cold and difficult for colonists, and for this reason, they celebrated in winter and the tradition has continued.

In New Orleans, as the students learned, there are parades, balls, and parties.

In Martinique, an island in the Caribbean Sea, according to the packet, Carnaval was first introduced by the French in the 18th Century. Since then it has been an occasion for everyone to meet in the streets, dance and play music.

“We never had a celebration like this before,” said NHS senior Melissa King.

NHS sophomore Andrew McCarthy said he was excited to learn about the celebration. “I am so pumped,” he said.

During the students’ period in the Lecture Hall, scenes from events from around the world played on the screen for students to view.

French teacher Laura Battisti also quizzed students on their knowledge of the celebration during the day.