PD

1. Valentina James
1/27/16
Pancake Day
Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday,
is the traditional feast day before the start
of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent, the 40
days leading up to Easter, was
traditionally a time of fasting and on
Shrove Tuesday, Anglo-Saxon Christians
went to confession and were “shriven”. A
bell would be rung to call people to confession. It is called the “Pancake Bell” and is still
rung today.
Shrove Tuesday falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from
year to year. In 2016, it falls on the 9th of February. Shrove Tuesday was the last
opportunity use up eggs and fats before starting the Lenten fast, and pancakes are the
best way to use up these ingredients.
The ingredients for pancakes symbolize the four points of significance at this time
of year. The eggs symbolize the Creation, the flour symbolizes the staff of life, the salt
symbolizes wholesomeness, and the milk symbolizes purity.
In the UK, pancake races are an important
part of the celebration. It's an opportunity for lots of
people, usually dressed as housewives, to race
down streets flipping pancakes. The object of the
race is to run to the end first while flipping the
pancake.
According to tradition, in 1445 a woman from
Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes, so she ran to the church
while flipping her pancake so it wouldn't burn. The Olney pancake race is now
worldwide. Competitors have to dress as housewives, wearing an apron and a hat or
scarf.