Shrove Tuesday

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Shrove Tuesday is the term used in the English-speaking countries of the United Kingdom<ref>Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) in the UK. British Embassy, Washington D.C.. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref>, Ireland<ref>Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day!. Irish Culture and Customs. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref>, and Australia<ref>Easter in Australia. The Australian Government Culture and Recreation Portal. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref> to refer to the day before Ash Wednesday (the Roman Catholic liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday). In these countries, this day is also known as Pancake Day, because it is customary to eat pancakes on this day.<ref>Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day!. Irish Culture and Customs. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref><ref>Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) in the UK. British Embassy, Washington D.C.. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref><ref>Easter in Australia. The Australian Government Culture and Recreation Portal. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref>

The word shrove is a past tense of the English verb "shrive," which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by confessing and doing penance.<ref>"Shrive." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.</ref> Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the shriving (confession) that Anglo-Saxon Christians were expected to receive immediately before Lent.<ref>Shrove Tuesday. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref>

Shrove Tuesday is the last day of "shrovetide," which is the English equivalent to the Carnival tradition that developed separately out of the countries of Latin Europe. In countries of the Carnival tradition, the day before Ash Wednesday is known either as the "Tuesday of Carnival" (in Spanish-speaking countries, "Martes de Carnaval," in Portuguese-speaking countries, "Terça-feira de Carnaval") or "Fat Tuesday" (in French-speaking countries, "Mardi Gras," in Italian-speaking countries, "Martedì Grasso").

The term "Shrove Tuesday" is not widely known in the English-speaking United States<ref>Mardi Gras. St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref><ref>National Celebrations: Holidays in the United States. U.S. State Department. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref>, especially in those regions which celebrate Mardi Gras on the day before Ash Wednesday.

1 Shrove Tuesday traditions in Britain, Ireland, and Australia
- 1.1 Pancake Day
2 Shrove Tuesday traditions particular to England
3 Other cultures that eat a particular food on the day before Ash Wednesday
4 Dates
5 See also
6 Footnotes
7 External links

[edit] Shrove Tuesday traditions in Britain, Ireland, and Australia

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[edit] Pancake Day

In Britain<ref>Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) in the UK. British Embassy, Washington D.C.. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref>, Ireland<ref>Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day!. Irish Culture and Customs. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref>, and Australia<ref>Easter in Australia. The Australian Government Culture and Recreation Portal. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref>, Shrove Tuesday is known as Pancake Day. The traditional pancake is a very thin one (like a French crêpe) which is served immediately sprinkled with caster sugar (confectionary, superfine or powdered sugar in the United States) and a dash of fresh lemon juice or alternatively drizzled with golden syrup.

Pancakes were traditionally allowed to be made between the ringing of a curfew bell in the morning of Shrove Tuesday and its ringing again that evening. Housewives had that time in which to use up all the eggs and fat they had left over. Until the early 1900s, Shrove Tuesday was a half-day holiday, and the "Shriving Bell" was rung at eleven o'clock in the morning to remind people that the holiday had begun. It became known in some parts as the "Pancake Bell", and it is still rung today even though the day is no longer a holiday.

Originally, pancakes were eaten to use up milk and eggs, which traditionally were not eaten during Lent and would otherwise spoil during this period. Pancakes first appeared in English cookbooks in the 15th century. In Britain and Ireland in particular, a number of traditions have grown up around the eating of pancakes. Some people in Britain know the day only by the name "Pancake Day" and some are even unaware of the day's connection to Lent.

On February 28, 2006, the North American restaurant chain International House of Pancakes ran a promotional "National Pancake Day" on Shrove Tuesday. One that day, patrons were entitled to a free "short stack" of IHOP pancakes.<ref>= 17 November Free Pancakes! No Strings Attached!. International House of Pancakes.</ref>

[edit] Shrove Tuesday traditions particular to England

[edit] Pancake Races

On Pancake Day, pancake races are held in villages and towns across Britain.<ref>Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) in the UK. British Embassy, Washington D.C.. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.</ref> In 1634 William Fennor wrote in his Palinodia:

"And every man and maide doe take their turne,

And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne."

But the tradition of pancake racing had started long before that. The most famous pancake race, at Olney in Buckinghamshire, has been held since 1445. The contestants, traditionally women, carry a frying pan (skillet) and race to the finishing line tossing the pancakes as they go. As the pancakes are thin, some skill is required to toss them successfully while running. The winner is the first to cross the line having tossed the pancake a certain number of times.

The tradition is said to have originated when a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes, that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house to church while still carrying her frying pan and pancake.

Since 1950 the people of Liberal, Kansas, USA and Olney have held the "International Pancake Day" race between the two towns. The two towns' competitors race along an agreed-upon course, and the times of all of the two towns' competitors are compared, to determine a winner. After the 2000 race, Liberal was leading with 26 wins to Olney's 24.<ref>= 17 November Shrove Tuesday. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).</ref>

[edit] The Pancake Greaze

Another local tradition, the Pancake Greaze, takes place every year at Westminster School in London. A pancake, reinforced with horsehair, is prepared in advance and on Shrove Tuesday tossed into the air "up School". The boys at the school then attempt to get as much of it as they can. See the Customs section of the Westminster School article.

[edit] Shrove Tuesday Football

Many towns throughout England held traditional Shrove Tuesday football ('Mob Football') games dating as far back as the 12th century. The practice mostly died out with the passing of the 1835 Highways Act, which banned the playing of football on public highways, but a number of towns have managed to maintain the tradition to the present day including Alnwick in Northumberland, Ashbourne in Derbyshire (called the Royal Shrovetide Football Match), Atherstone in Warwickshire,Sedgefield (called the Ball Game) in County Durham, and St Columb Major (called Hurling the Silver Ball) in Cornwall.

[edit] Other cultures that eat a particular food on the day before Ash Wednesday

In the Canadian province of Newfoundland, household objects are baked into the pancakes and served to family members. Rings, thimbles, thread, coins, and other objects all have meanings associated with them. The lucky one to find coins in their pancake will be rich, the finder of the ring will be the first married, and the finder of the thimble will be a seamstress or tailor. Children have great fun with the tradition, and often eat more than their fill of pancakes in search of a desired object.

In Sweden the day before Ash Wednesday is known as fettisdagen ("Fat Tuesday") in Swedish. The day is marked by eating a traditional pastry, called semla, filled with marzipan and whipped cream. Originally, the pastry was only eaten on this day, served with hot milk, but eventually it became tradition to eat it on every Tuesday leading up to Easter, as the Protestant Swedes no longer observed Lent. Today, semlas are available in shops and bakeries every day from shortly after Christmas until Easter, and the semla is now often eaten as a regular pastry, without the hot milk. The semla is also traditional in Finland but is there sometimes filled with jam instead of marzipan.

In Iceland the day is known as "Sprengidagur" (Bursting day) and is marked with the eating of salt meat and peas.

In Lithuania the day is called Užgavėnės, and many pancakes (blynai) and Lithuanian style doughnuts (spurgos) are eaten.

In Estonia (Vastlapäev) and Finland (Laskiainen), this day is associated with hopes for the coming year. On this day, families go sledding and eat split pea and ham soup. A toy is made from the ham bone by tying the bone to a string and spinning it around to make a whistling noise. There is a tale told that if you cut your hair on this day, it will grow fast and thick for the next year.

In Pennsylvania it is a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition to eat a type of doughnuts called Fastnachts (or Fasnachts). The Fastnacht would be made of all the sweets and other forbidden items in the household and then consumed on Fat Tuesday so that one would not be tempted during the Lenten Fast. Today they are made from potato dough and fried, often coated with a sugary glaze.

In Poland, Pączki and chrust hroost are traditionally eaten on Fat Thursday (Tłusty czwartek). However, in areas of Michigan with large Polish communities, they are eaten on "Fat Tuesday" due to French influence.

[edit] Dates

The date can vary from as early as February 3 to as late as March 9. As it is the last day before the start of Lent, the date is dependent on that of Easter.

Shrove Tuesday (and Mardi Gras) will occur on the following dates in the following years: