What Is & When Is Shrove Tuesday?:
Shrove Tuesday is the term used for the day preceding Ash Wednesday (Ash Wednesday is the first day of the period of fasting and prayer Christians call Lent).
Shrove Tuesday is usually observed in English-speaking countries - especially in the United Kingdom / Ireland / Canada / Australia / New Zealand / the Philippines / Germany and even parts of the United States. Shrove Tuesday is linked to Easter and therefore the date changes annually.
What Does Shrove Mean?:
The word shrove is the past tense of the English verb to shrive: which means “to obtain absolution for one's sins by way of confession and doing penance”.
During the week before Lent which was sometimes called Shrovetide in English: Christians were expected to go to confession. They went to confess their sins so they were forgiven before Lent began.
Why Do We Eat Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?:
As Lent is a time when we give things up for 40 days (I usually give up chocolate / crisps or something else considered unhealthy) Shrove Tuesday is the last opportunity to indulge yourself before Lent and to use up foods such as fat / butter and eggs – foods that were not allowed during Lent. The season of Lent emphasised refraining from eating food that would give pleasure and eat plainer food instead. In many cultures this means giving up meat / dairy or eggs for Lent.
Pancake Recipe:
Recipe for basic pancake recipe for 8 pancakes:
· 4oz (100g) plain flour
· Half a Pint (250ml) of milk
· 1 Standard Egg (Size 2)
· Pinch of Salt (half teaspoon)
Extra Ingredients to finish the pancakes:
· 2oz (50g) Lard or Fat – for the frying pan
· Sugar, Lemon, Orange. Etc to add flavour
Making the Pancake Batter:
1. Sieve the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
Make a small hollow in the centre of the mixture and drop in the egg (not the shell)
2. Begin to mix while gradually adding about one quarter of the milk. Continue to mix well until bubbles become visible in the mixture.
3. Gradually pour in the remaining milk while continuing to mix. (If it’s a bit too think – then add a little water.)
4. Pour batter into a jug for easier pouring into pan.
Making the Pancakes:
1. Heat the frying pan, and place a small piece of lard/fat in the centre. Allow this to melt and spread over the pan.
2. Get the pan nice & hot and when the lard begins to smoke slightly, stir and pour in some of the batter – approx 30ml or 2 tablespoons, or enough to thinly cover the bottom of the pan. (Tilt the pan to help the batter spread evenly).
3. Cook until nicely golden brown on the bottom. (Shouldn’t take too long)
4. And now the only tricky bit of the whole operation – toss / flip the pancake to within an inch of the kitchen ceiling and position the pan to perfectly catch the pancake on the way down – cooked side up, easy. (You could of course just turn it over with a big plastic spoon, but where’s the fun in that? ;-)
5. Cook the other side until nicely golden brown.
6. Serve immediately with sugar, syrup, lemon or orange poured on top.
7. Err ..........eat the thing, anyway you want. (Tip – when frying never turn the pancake more than once.)
Easy pancake recipe – Topping ideas:
· Strawberries
· Lemon
· Orange juice
· Honey. Maple Syrup, Golden Syrup
· Grated cheese
· Sugar
· Raspberries
· Chocolate sauce, Blueberry sauce – plus more or less anything you care to try
Traditions and Festivities around the UK:
Shrove Tuesday Football (“Mob Football”):
Shrove Tuesday Football or “Mob Football” dates as far back as the 12th century and in England many towns held traditional games as part of community celebrations however this practice mainly died out in the 19th century. This was due to the passing of the Highway Act 1835 which banned the playing of football on public highways. Today there are still a number of towns who have maintained the tradition.
These towns and the names they call the game are:
· Alnwick in Northumberland
· Ashbourne in Derbyshire - the Royal Shrovetide Football Match
· Atherstone in Warwickshire - the Ball Game
· Sedgefield in County Durham - the Ball Game
· St Columb Major in Cornwall - Hurling the Silver Ball
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| Mob Football |
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| One of many Pancake Races held today |
Pancake races still remain a relatively common tradition in the UK - in England in particular. Contestants – traditionally women - with frying pans race through the streets tossing pancakes into the air catching them in the pan whilst running. The winner is the first to cross the line having tossed the pancake a certain number of times. When men want to participate in a pancake race they must dress up as a housewife and wear an apron and a headscarf.
And in Olney – the town where pancake races have been held since 1445 - a pancake race still takes place every year on Shrove Tuesday.
And since 1950 the people of Liberal - Kansas and Olney have held the "International Pancake Day" race between the two towns. Competitors from the two towns race along an agreed-upon measured course and to determine the overall winner the times of the two competitors are compared and the winning time wins the race.
After the 2009 race Liberal - Kansas was leading with 34 wins to Olney's 25.
Miscellaneous Festivities:
Scarborough: celebrates Pancake Day by closing the foreshore to all traffic and closing schools early – the town then invites everyone to skip. Traditionally long ropes were used from the nearby harbour. The town crier rings the pancake bell which is situated on the corner of Westborough (Main Street) and Huntress Row.
Whitechapel – Lancashire: the children of the hamlet of Whitechapel - Lancashire keep alive a local tradition. This tradition is that the children visit local households and ask "please a pancake" – they are rewarded with oranges or sweets. It is thought this custom arose when farm workers visited wealthy farm and manor owners to ask for pancakes or pancake fillings.
Traditions & Other Names for Shrove Tuesday Around the World:
Canada:
In Canada amongst Anglicans / Lutherans / some other Protestant denominations that include ethnic British communities / as well as Catholics this day is also known as Pancake Tuesday and it is customary to eat pancakes.
In Newfoundland and Labrador small tokens are frequently cooked into the pancakes. Children take delight in discovering these objects - which are intended to be divinatory. For example: the person who finds a coin will be wealthy / a nail dictates that the person will be (or marry) a carpenter / etc.
Finland and Sweden:
In Finland & Sweden (Fettisdagen – Fat Tuesday) Shrove Tuesday is associated with the almond paste-filled semla pastry. A semla pastry is a wheat bun with its top cut off and the insides scooped out. The bun is then refilled with a mix of the scooped out crumbs / milk and almond paste and then topped with whipped cream.
United States:
In the United States the term Shrove Tuesday is less widely known outside of people who observe the traditions of the Episcopal / Lutheran / Methodist and Catholic churches. Due to the increase in many diverse immigrant populations and traditions since the 19th century Mardi Gras has become more familiar as the name for Shrove Tuesday.
Brazil:
In Brazil (Terça-feira gorda - Fat Tuesday) – is the final day of Brazilian Carnival.
Greece:
In Greece (Apocreas) - means "from the meat" the Greeks do not eat meat during Lent, either.
Germany:
In Germany (Fastnacht – other spellings: Fasnacht / Fasenacht / Fasteloven - in the Rhine area or Fasching - in Bavaria)
France:
In France (Mardi Gras) – meaning: Grease or Fat Tuesday
Iceland:
In Iceland (Sprengidagur) – means Bursting day
Written by: Andria Owen
