Connie Hayes, Staff Writer

Following in the tradition of the Catholic Church, many partygoers celebrate Fat Tuesday. USA Today featured an article called “Fast facts about Fat Tuesday,” by Jolie Lee. She said, “Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, is synonymous with revelry before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Festivities begin on Jan. 6, known as the Feast of the Epiphany, Twelfth Night or Three Kings’ Day.” Lee interviewed Karen Leathem, museum historian for the Louisiana State Museum for New Orleans, Leathem said, “Mardi Gras celebrations date to Medieval Europe. In New Orleans, Mardi Gras celebrations grew out of Catholicism but also wove in French celebrations, African music and the masquerade tradition.” As a practicing Catholic, I celebrate Fat Tuesday every year as a transition into the Lenten season and this year I celebrated by having dinner at Narducci’s Café, a Basque/Italian restaurant located at 622 East 21st St., and then downtown to local bar, On the Rocks. I enjoyed dinner at Narducci’s by completely blowing my diet and enjoying the setup, consisting of French bread topped with butter and salsa, hearty vegetable Basque soup, salad with a zesty vinaigrette dressing, pasta with a rich white sauce, and French fries. It was excellent. Needless to say, the “fat” part of this day was successfully completed. Waitress Courtney Nixon, 24, said, “Fat Tuesday is definitely a popular day for customers to come in, they like to enjoy good food and alcohol to commemorate the day.” After dinner I proceeded downtown to On the Rocks located at 1517 18th St., a local bar and restaurant that had a Fat Tuesday party with a $5 cover charge. The night included bands and a DJ to get the party started. Known mainly for there band, comedy and dance-centered nightlife, they did not disappoint for Fat Tuesday. The bar was packed, and the band, The Lift, was playing, mainly featuring pop cover songs. Next up was DJ Mikey, who played mainly 80s and 90s era hip-hop to the delight of the crowd of mainly young people in their twenties and professionals in their upper 20’s and early 30’s. Many were dancing and enjoying themselves. Green and purple balloons were scattered all across the ceiling, and beads and masks covered light fixtures as decoration. The next band was Mento Buru, who awkwardly did a sound check while the DJ was still playing, and then joined in and played along before starting their set. I had never heard of them before, and I really enjoyed their upbeat Latin-style sound. Bartender Jacob Richardson, 26, said “On the Rocks is always a place where both young and old can come to have a great time, and we really wanted to deliver a great night for our customers on Fat Tuesday.” Having indulged in the tradition of excess on Fat Tuesday, I can now enter into the Lenten season and apply the liturgical practices of the Catholic Church.