Shrove Tuesday

Today is Shrove Tuesday commonly known as Pancake Day which has been celebrated for centuries.

The word shrove is a form of the English word shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of confession and penance.  The verb to shrive describes the act of hearing a confession, often by a priest.

Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the custom for Christians to be “shriven” before the start of Lent.  Traditionally, Anglo-Saxon Christians would go to church to confession and be absolved from their sins on this day.

The day marks the end of Pre-Lenten Season, known as Shrovetide; it was traditionally seen as a chance to indulge before the prohibitive period of Lent and is tied to Carnival seasons celebrated in other parts of the world.

Traditionally, pancakes were eaten on this day to use up rich, indulgent foods like eggs and milk before the fasting season of Lent began.  Although it is enshrined in Christian tradition, it is believed that Pancake Day might originate in a pagan holiday, when eating warm round pancakes – symbolising the sun – was a way of celebrating the arrival of spring.   Legend has it that the tradition was born in the 15th century when a particularly disorganised woman in Buckinghamshire rushed to the church to confess her sins while mid-way through making pancakes.

If you are making pancakes then enjoy!