When Is Shrove Tuesday Celebrated? Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday Tuesday, also known as “Pancake Day,” is the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. In many Christian countries, this day is marked by confession and forgiveness, the ritual burning of the Holy Week palms from the previous year, completing one’s Lenten sacrifice, and eating pancakes and other sweets.
When Is Shrove Tuesday Celebrated?
Shrove Tuesday is a Christian holiday that is celebrated all over the world. It happens on the Tuesday before Lent starts, which is about six weeks before Easter. Christians give up luxuries during Lent to remember how Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days in the desert.
Every year, the date of Shrove Tuesday is different. But one thing is always the same: Easter Sunday is always 47 days away. You guessed it; it always happens on a Tuesday. And this time, it happened on 21 February 2023.
The name comes from the old word “shriving,” which means to listen to someone’s mistakes and forgive them. On Shrove Tuesday, Christians in Anglo-Saxon England would go to church to confess their sins and clean their souls. To put it another way, they would be “shriven.”
Shrove Tuesday is also called Pancake Day in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Canada. Christians used to give up rich, tasty foods like butter, eggs, sugar, and fat during Lent (some Christians continue to do so, in fact). The last day to eat them was Shrove Tuesday, and what better way to do it than with a tasty pancake?
People still make these tasty treats on Shrove Tuesday, and they top them with fruit, honey, chocolate, and ice cream, among other things. But wait, there’s more! At this great festival, pancakes aren’t just for eating—they’re also used to race!
Fun things to do on Shrove Tuesday include pancake races. People race each other while tossing a pancake in a pan. Pancake races are often held today to raise money for charities and help people who are in need. Awesome!
Now comes the big question: where did this strange custom come from? The story goes that it began in the English town of Olney in Buckinghamshire in the year 1445. A woman was making pancakes and forgot what time it was. She ran as fast as she could when she heard the church bells for the Shrove Tuesday mass. When she got there, she still had her pancake in the pan!
Pancakes have become such a big part of Shrove Tuesday that 52 million eggs are used in the UK alone on this day. That’s 22 million more than what you usually see in a day. It’s really cool!
In other places, Shrove Tuesday is called something else. In Germany, it is called “Fastnacht,” which means “the night before the fast.” In Iceland, it is called “Sprengidagur,” which means “Bursting Day.” In France and other places, the festival is called “Mardi Gras,” which comes from the French phrase “Fat Tuesday.” And Mardi Gras means party time for a lot of people…
Many cities worldwide celebrate Mardi Gras with lively street parties that include live bands, colourful parades, and elaborate costumes. Some of the biggest and most well-known Mardi Gras parties are in New Orleans, USA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Venice, Italy.
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