As soon as Christmas is over, our local Walmart’s seasonal aisles become split into two sections: one with a pink and red color scheme, and one with green, purple and gold. In 2026, Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras are only three days apart. These holiday traditions have made similar journeys—transitioning from Catholic feasts to secularized celebrations.
The titular “Valentine” was a saint from the third century A.D., though accounts disagree on the specifics of his life. The story goes that Emperor Claudius II of Rome made it illegal for soldiers to be married. Saint Valentine was a priest who facilitated marriages for the soldiers, and was killed on February 14, 270 A.D., according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
However, other sources claim that Valentine’s Day was named in honor of a different bishop from Terni. This is not unusual: many stories about saints derive from oral tradition and folk tales, rather than historical documentation. Nevertheless, honoring the lives of saints is a crucial aspect of Catholic tradition.
Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday,” celebrates the final day of indulgence before the solemn liturgical season of Lent. “Lent is a time of preparation for Easter,” Patrick Clay, a Fellowship of Catholic University Students missionary at Northwestern State University of Louisiana’s Catholic Student Center, said. “Fat Tuesday is the last day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. It’s a last hurrah before a time of penance.”
The date of Mardi Gras varies each year. New Orleans news outlet WWL explains the calculations involved in the holiday’s date: Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter, which always takes place on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring.
Why do these ancient Catholic traditions have so much significance in our region? Religious demographics vary across the country, but Louisiana has long been a hub of Catholicism.
“They call it the Bible Belt; there are more Catholics down south,” Clay said. “‘The harvest is abundant,’ as the Bible says.”
At Natchitoches’ Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, a placard explains the spread of Catholicism in Louisiana. According to the placard, “Catholicism has played a central role throughout the history of the Cane River Region, with its emergence rooted in French and Spanish colonial-era claims to the territory. The establishment of Fort St. Jean-Baptiste in 1716 as a French military outpost led to the establishment of a Catholic presence in the area.”
When these holidays were brought to America, they took on new meaning as various cultures mingled with one another. Louisiana culture as a whole combines aspects of French, Spanish, African and Native American traditions, and Mardi Gras is a clear example of this.
It is from this blend that we get famous Mardi Gras parades, balls and costumes. American consumerist culture was also applied to both Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras, creating the more materialist traditions of mass-produced cards, candy and beads.
Our views of these holidays have morphed over time and are nearly unrecognizable from their origin. To some people, these changes make the holidays more exciting and modern; to others, it disrespects what the holidays originally represented.
Harry Hoben, a freshman music education major, said, “I doubt that even a few people know that [Valentine’s Day] is a feast for a saint. It’s been so choked with commercialism that its only meaning today is to buy nice things for your partner.”
Junior English major Jamie Perdue agrees that the holidays should be treated with more reverence and less indulgence. “Maybe we can rethink the overdrinking and overbuying and waste when it comes to any commercialized holiday,” she said, “It’s our job as people to take care of ourselves and our planet.”
However, the changes are not all bad. Even though the holidays are mostly divorced from their religious origins, they are still fun celebrations that bring people closer together. It is important to find a balance between enjoying ourselves on these holidays while acknowledging and respecting their history.
“There can be a balance. It’s good to get together and celebrate. Even drinking alcohol isn’t wrong, but I wish people understood the why,” Clay said. “There is a reason why we have the season of Lent. As Catholics, we don’t suffer just to suffer; we follow Jesus, who suffered for 40 days and nights. People forget the meaning behind it.”
Perdue said, “Everything, in general, is harmless fun. People will do what they do no matter what, and I can’t and shouldn’t control how anyone else celebrates a holiday … In terms of Mardi Gras in particular, it’s my opinion that daytime Mardi Gras parades should be better about being more child-friendly. Other than that, let people have their fun!”
Everybody brings their own interpretations to holidays, and it is important to have respect for other traditions. Learning about the origins of the holidays we celebrate can connect us to our local culture and deepen our appreciation of the celebrations.
