Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday, comes before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter in the Christian calendar.
A day of penitence, when Christians traditionally confessed their sins, Shrove Tuesday is also the last day when they can feast before the deprivations of Lent begin. In the past, there were many foods that Christians were not permitted to eat during Lent, so they used them all up on Shrove Tuesday – eggs, fat, flour and milk all went into pancakes. Some towns and villages in Britain hold pancake races.
Mardi gras – French for 'fat Tuesday' – also comes from the tradition of using up and eating pancakes. Now it has developed into spectacular carnivals, where people dress up, parade and dance in the streets and play music. One of the biggest Mardi gras celebrations is in New Orleans, USA.
The Germanic word Lent refers to the lengthening of the days during spring. For Christians, Lent is the period of 40 days (which does not include Sundays) leading up to Easter, which, historically, was a period of fasting. Today, the Eastern church continues to forbid meat, fish, eggs and milk products but in much of the world Christians today mark Lent by giving up something they enjoy.
