Today is Shrove Tuesday or better known to some people... Pancake Tuesday. I remember as a child my Mother celebrating Shrove Tuesday by making pancakes for supper... something I remember as being decadent and exciting... the idea of having breakfast for supper. I had no idea why we were having pancakes.
The past week or so I have been reminded of the upcoming Pancake Tuesday by the media and have had it in the back of my mind to prepare pancakes for supper tonight. As soon as I am done here I am going on the hunt for a good home made pancake recipe to prepare.
I got wondering what exactly Shrove Tuesday means and what the significance of it is. I knew it had religious meaning and was tied into the crucifixion and ressurection of Jesus but I was pretty sure it wasn't because Jesus enjoyed pancakes. Here is what I found out.
Shrove Tuesday 2009 (Pancake Day)
In the UK, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day (or Pancake Tuesday to some people) because it is the one day of the year when almost everyone eats a pancake.
Pancake Day ( also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. It is traditional on this day to eat pancakes.
Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.
Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and is therefore the final day before the commencement of Lent, a Christian festival leading up to Easter Sunday (Easter Day).
Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between 3 February and 9 March.
The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.
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Now that I know why I am eating pancakes tonight I am off to find a great recipe!
Happy Pancake Day!!!!
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3 comments:
I love Pancake Tuesday! I used to always look forward to it when I was a kid. Last night John and I were talking about it and wondering what the meaning of it was. Now I know. Interesting.
We had pancakes on Tuesday
I love making pancakes with the children in my classroom. Any excuse to eat for children is a hit. Every year Don and I still go to the church to have our pancakes. What better way is there?!
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