Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent begins and is associated with indulgence in many cultures. In the UK, it’s known as Pancake Day, with pancake races being a tradition. Different countries have their own special foods, such as semla in Sweden and donuts in Pennsylvania Dutch. The date changes every year and is celebrated on different days in the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Shrove Tuesday refers to the day before Ash Wednesday, and is the last day before Lent begins. Although the word “shrove” comes from the same base as shrive or shriven, meaning to repent or have repented, this day is not typically associated with repentance. Instead, it’s usually a day for big, mouth-watering celebrations that will use ingredients from the kitchen to whip up treats that many will forgo during Lent.
There are different names for Mardi Gras in different cultures. In the United States and Latin American countries, it is better known as Mardi Gras. The celebrations are often extreme, with many indulging in many delicacies, watching the carnival parades or simply taking to the streets in a joyful party atmosphere.
Most in England, Ireland and Australia celebrate it as Pancake Day. Pancakes are enjoyed and eaten with sweet toppings to make use of luxury ingredients like eggs and flour that might be ditched during Lent. Like Shrove Tuesday, many people who don’t observe Lent join in the celebrations because they’re just plain fun.
A Shrove Tuesday tradition in the UK is the Pancake Races, which have been held for over 500 years. The women carry thin pancakes in pans and must race to the finish line, flipping cakes as they go. The winner is the first to cross the finish line with an unburnt pancake.
Other places have different traditions of eating special foods on this day. In Sweden, for example, the day is known as Shrove Tuesday, and it is traditional for people to eat a dessert called semla, which is filled with cream. Pennsylvania Dutch and people in countries like Lithuania, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia all enjoy indulging in donuts on this day.
The key to celebrating in style is indulging—it’s not a day for counting calories. In the past, it has been joked that many people are well prepared for the Ash Wednesday fast because they ate or drank poorly the day before.
The date of Shrove Tuesday changes every year. That’s essentially 47 days before Easter, which falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal or March equinox. In the Eastern Orthodox Churches it is always celebrated on a different day from those following the date of Easter set by the Gregorian calendar. As a result, Greeks or some of the former Soviet Union countries can celebrate this day about a week earlier than most other European, Latin American and North American countries.
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