Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), observed in many countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year’s Holy Week palms, finalizing one’s Lenten sacrifice, as well as eating pancakes and other sweets. In some Christian countries, especially those where the day is called Mardi Gras or a translation thereof, it is a carnival day, the last day of “fat eating” or “gorging” before the fasting period. The word shrove is a form of the English word shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of Confession and doing penance. One of the popular ways of using up eggs and milk and other ingredients is to make pancakes. The pancake has a very long history and featured in cool books as far back as 1439. The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old….. Are you having pancakes today? And do you add anything to the mix?…Ed
Source: Ellen Castelow/Wikipedia/Photo: Ed M
Comments