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As I have mentioned before, I attended a small church school for the
first 6 years of my school days. I loved that little school as we got to go to
all the religious festivities, my favourites being what we called Pancake Day
but I much later learnt was Shrove Tuesday, and the harvest festival held at
our local church. We would have to take a basket of fruit or vegetables along
which the priest assured us was then distributed to the local disadvantaged
people.
I also loved Sunday School as we got to hear all those amazing stories
from the best story book of all time—the bible. Call me a sinner but the only
time I visit church nowadays is for a wedding or funeral and even these are few
and far between as either my younger relatives get married in their garden or
go over to Bali or similar and marry on a beach, and most funeral wakes are
held at the funeral parlour.
Anyway, the essence of this post is to find out why we (or should I say
I?) don’t hear much about Pancake Tuesday any more. Perhaps this is due to me
not living in the UK now as it still seems to be a tradition that is held up over
there to this day.
While searching online I came across an informative post at:
My thanks go to its creator Ellen Castelow for the following facts and
figures:
Shrove Tuesday is held before the start of Lent, which for Christians is
the 40 days leading up to Easter (a traditional time of fasting) It always
falls 47 days before Easter Sunday. The bell that would call people to
confession was called the Pancake Bell and this apparently is still rung today.
So that blows my theory of Pancake Day not existing any more out the window.
So, back to Pancake Tuesday which to me was a fantastic celebration. I’ve
always loved them and we would have them at home with sugar and lemon or in
good times with golden syrup atop. As most everyone knows they are made of
batter and fried in a pan. The story goes that the tradition started as far
back as 1439. Shrove Tuesday was the last chance the housewives had to use up
the simple ingredients of eggs, flour, salt and milk before Lent. Even I,
terrible cook that I am, can master such an easy recipe. I doubt I could manage
the racing and tossing them as I go with much skill though.
A pancake race of some repute is held in Olney, Buckinghamshire each year
and the original started some 600 years or more ago when a woman of this town
heard the shriving bell calling them to confession while still in the process of
cooking pancakes and headed off to church clutching her frying pan. Rule is
that the women of the town must wear their apron and have either a hat of scarf
on their heads. The pancake must be tossed three times during the race.
Many
towns and villages throughout England still carry on the tradition in some form.
Also, some towns held a football match on the day, but a lot of these have died
out.
Something I didn’t realise is that in some countries Shrove Tuesday is
known as ‘Mardi Gras’, meaning Fat Tuesday in French. So, there is the
connection with using up food before Lent. Mardi Gras celebrations are famously
held in Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans, and Venice. And news to me, is that the
Mardi Gras held in Sydney Australia each year is connected, although this year
is to be held on 3rd March.
Acknowledgements also go to this site for more information garnered
about Shrove Tuesday:
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