Theeuroblog.com – Health, Food and Travel

After the Pancake Tuesday comes the Ash Wednesday.  Before this day, Shrove Monday comes first. Pancake Tuesday is also known as Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday or simply Pancake Day. It is celebrated in many countries around the world like in United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and more.

Not really pancakes but some sort of sweets for you this Fat Tuesday celebration. I know I have pancake photos in my albums but I can’t find it at the moment.

Shrove Tuesday is related to the carnival festivities. in Germany, it is called as Fasching or Fastnacht Day.  In Iceland the day is known as Sprengidagur (Bursting Day). Whatever country you live, you surely has a name for this day. 

Carnival parade in Bavaria, Germany.

The word shrove is the past tense of the English verb shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of Confession and doing penance. Thus  Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the custom for Christians to be “shriven” before the start of Lent.

It is “Pancake Day” or “Pancake Tuesday” due to the tradition of eating pancakes on the day. Shrove Tuesday, a moveable feast, is determined by Easter.

Tradition

Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: in many cultures, this means no meat, dairy products, or eggs.

During this day, there are a lot of activities and festivities  going on around the globe especially carnival parades. Have fun but be safe!

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