You might wonder where Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday came from. Why did we decide to eat pancakes on the Tuesday before Lent?
In order to understand Shrove Tuesday we need to first recognize the importance of Lent. Lent, the forty days leading up Good Friday and Easter Sunday, is traditionally viewed as a period of repentance. You’ve heard that people often give something up for Lent. Someone might say to you, “I’m giving up chocolate for Lent.” This is because the season of Lent was traditionally viewed as a time of fasting. Christians were encouraged to fast and prepare themselves for the events of Good Friday and Easter. It was viewed as a spiritual discipline.
The origins of Shrove Tuesday are traced back to the Middle Ages, a time before refrigeration. Meats, milk, eggs and fats would not keep for the forty day period of Lent. The result was that on the Tuesday before Lent started a feast would be prepared which would consume these items rather than allowing them to go to waste while everyone was fasting. In England this evolved into using the milk, fat and eggs and what better way than pancakes.
Interesting Facts About Shrove Tuesday
- Shrove is the past tense of shrive. To shrive, is to present oneself for confession, penance and absolution.
- In France Shrove Tuesday is known as Fat Tuesday, which in French is translated to Mardi Gras.
Today many people enjoy Pancake Tuesday as a reminder of our past traditions.
Please join us on Tuesday February 9 for a Pancake Supper. The doors open at 5:30pm.