Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday

Observed by Followers of many Christian denominations and common custom
Type Christian
Date In seventh week before Easter, day before Ash Wednesday
Frequency annual
Related to Ash Wednesday
Mardi Gras

Shrove Tuesday (known in some countries as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake day) is a day in February or March preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), which is celebrated in some countries by consuming pancakes. In others, especially those where it is called Mardi Gras or some translation thereof, this is a carnival day, and also the last day of "fat eating" or "gorging" before the fasting period of Lent.

This moveable feast is determined by Easter. The expression "Shrove Tuesday" comes from the word shrive, meaning "absolve".[1] Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Roman Catholics,[2] who "make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with."[3]

Being the last day of the liturgical season historically known as Shrovetide, before the penitential season of Lent, related popular practices, such as indulging in food that one sacrifices for the upcoming forty days, are associated with Shrove Tuesday celebrations, before commencing the fasting and religious obligations associated with Lent. The term Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday.

History

It is probably impossible to know when the tradition of marking the start of Lent began. Ælfric of Eynsham's "Ecclesiastical Institutes" of about A.D. 1000 includes: "In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him as he then may hear by his deeds what he is to do [in the way of penance]".[4]

Some suggest that the Pancake Tuesday was originally a pagan holiday.[5] Before the Christian era, ancient Slavs believed that the change of seasons was a struggle between Jarilo, the god of vegetation, fertility and springtime, and the evil spirits of cold and darkness. People believed that they had to help Jarilo fight against winter and bring in the spring.

The most important part of Maslenitsa week (the whole celebration of the arrival of spring lasted one week) was making and eating pancakes. The hot, round pancakes symbolized the sun. Ancient Slavs also believed that by eating pancakes, they got the power, light and warmth of the sun. The first pancake was usually put on a window for the spirits of the ancestors.[6] On the last day of Maslenitsa week some pancakes and other food were burnt in a bonfire as a sacrifice to the pagan gods.[7]

Terminology

Russian artist Boris Kustodiev's Maslenitsa (1916)
Shrove Tuesday, Bear guiding in Poland (1950)

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 doing penance. Thus Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the custom for Christians to be "shriven" before the start of Lent.[8] Shrove Tuesday is the last day of "shrovetide", somewhat analogous to the Carnival tradition that developed separately in countries of Latin Europe.

Traditions

Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: in many cultures, this means no meat, dairy products, or eggs.

In Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland the day is also known as "Pancake Day" as it is a common custom to eat pancakes as a meal.[12][13][14]

In Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island small tokens are frequently cooked in the pancakes. Children take delight in discovering the objects, which are intended to be divinatory. For example, the person who receives a coin will be wealthy; a nail indicates that they will become or marry a carpenter.[15][16]

Festivities

A pancake race in England

In England, as part of community celebration, many towns held traditional Shrove Tuesday "mob football" games, some dating as far back as the 12th century. The practice mostly died out in the 19th century after the passing of the Highway Act 1835 which banned playing football on public highways. A number of towns have maintained the tradition, including Alnwick in Northumberland, Ashbourne in Derbyshire (called the Royal Shrovetide Football), Atherstone in Warwickshire (called simply the Atherstone Ball Game), St Columb Major in Cornwall (called Hurling the Silver Ball), and Sedgefield in County Durham.

Shrove Tuesday was once known as a "half-holiday" in Britain. It started at 11:00am with the ringing of a church bell.[17] On Pancake Day, "pancake races" are held in villages and towns across the United Kingdom. The tradition is said to have originated in 1445 when a housewife from Olney, Buckinghamshire, 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, tossing it to prevent it from burning.[18][19] The pancake race remains a relatively common festive tradition in the UK, especially England, even today. Participants with frying pans race through the streets tossing pancakes into the air and catching them in the pan while running.

The most famous pancake race,[20] at Olney in Buckinghamshire, has been held since 1445. The contestants, traditionally women, carry a frying pan and race over a 415-yard course to the finishing line. The rules are strict: contestants have to toss their pancake at both the start and the finish, as well as wear an apron and a scarf. Traditionally, when men want to participate, they must dress up as a housewife (usually an apron and a bandanna). The race is followed by a church service.[18]

Since 1950 the people of Liberal, Kansas, and Olney have held the "International Pancake Day" race between the two towns. The two towns' competitors race along an agreed-upon measured course. The times of the two towns' competitors are compared to determine a winner overall. After the 2009 race, Liberal was leading with 34 wins to Olney's 25.[21] A similar race is held in North Somercotes in Lincolnshire, England.

Scarborough celebrates by closing the foreshore to all traffic, closing schools early, and inviting all to skip. Traditionally, long ropes were used from the nearby harbour. The town crier rings the pancake bell, situated on the corner of Westborough (main street) and Huntress Row.

The children of the hamlet of Whitechapel, Lancashire keep alive a local tradition by visiting local households and asking "please a pancake", to be rewarded with oranges or sweets. It is thought the tradition arose when farm workers visited the wealthier farm and manor owners to ask for pancakes or pancake fillings.[22]

In Finland and Sweden the day is associated with the almond paste-filled semla pastry.

Pancakes are traditional in Christian festivals in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia also at this time of year (Maslenitsa).

In London, the Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race takes place every Shrove Tuesday, with teams from the British lower house (the House of Commons), the upper house (the House of Lords), and the Fourth Estate, contending for the title of Parliamentary Pancake Race Champions. The fun relay race is to raise awareness of Rehab, which provides a range of health and social care, training, education, and employment services in the UK for disabled people and others who are marginalised. In 2009 the Upper House won. The race was then won by the Lower House in 2010 with the Upper House reclaiming their winning title in 2011. In 2012, the Lower House were crowned the pancake flipping champions and they retained their title for the second year running in 2013. The House of Lords won it back in 2014. However, at long last in 2015 the Media team finally won the title.

Dates

Shrove Tuesday is exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday, a moveable feast based on the cycles of the moon. The date can be any between 3 February and 9 March inclusive.

Shrove Tuesday occurs on these dates:[23]

  • 2016 – 9 February
  • 2017 – 28 February
  • 2018 – 13 February
  • 2019 – 25 March
  • 2020 – 25 February
  • 2021 – 16 February
  • 2022 – 1 March
  • 2023 – 21 February
  • 2024 – 13 February
  • 2025 – 4 March
  • 2026 – 17 February
  • 2027 – 9 February
  • 2028 – 29 February
  • 2029 – 13 February
  • 2030 – 5 March
  • 2031 – 25 February
  • 2032 – 10 February
  • 2033 – 1 March
  • 2034 – 21 February
  • 2035 – 6 February
  • 2036 – 26 February
  • 2037 – 17 February
  • 2038 – 9 March
  • 2039 – 22 February
  • 2040 – 14 February
  • 2041 – 5 March
  • 2042 – 18 February
  • 2043 – 10 February
  • 2044 – 1 March
  • 2045 – 21 February
  • 2046 – 6 February
  • 2047 – 26 February
  • 2048 – 18 February
  • 2049 – 2 March
  • 2050 – 22 February

See also

References

  1. ↑ Melitta Weiss Adamson, Francine Segan (2008). Entertaining from Ancient Rome to the Super Bowl. ABC-CLIO. In Anglican countries, Mardis Gras is known as Shrove Tuesday-from shrive meaning "confess"-or Pancake Tuesday"-after the breakfast food that symbolizes one final hearty meal of eggs, butter, and sugar before the fast. On Ash Wednesday, the morning after Mardi Gras, repentant Christians return to church to receive upon the forehead the sign of the cross in ashes.
  2. ↑ Shrove Tuesday inspires unique church traditions KATIE WALKER 7 March 2011
  3. ↑ Shrove Tuesday DARREN PROVINE 1 March 2014
  4. ↑ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Shrovetide". Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  5. ↑ Елена Петрова. "Shrovetide (Pancake Week)". ypmuseum.ru. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Shrovetide. Maslenitca. Komoeditsy. Carnival - Slavic Souvenirs Blog. Traditions and mythology of the Slavs. Slavic souvenir shop". slavicsouvenirs.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Marena and waking the bear at Maslenitsa
  8. ↑ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Shrovetide". Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  9. ↑ American Heritage Dictionary
  10. ↑ "Güdeldienstag". Duden. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  11. ↑ Archived 16 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ "Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Day!". Irish Culture and Customs. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
  13. ↑ "Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) in the UK". British Embassy, Washington DC. Archived from the original on 23 February 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
  14. ↑ "Easter in Australia". The Australian Government Culture and Recreation Portal. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
  15. ↑ "Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage". Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  16. ↑ "Its Shrove Tuesday and Pancake Day". Cape Breton Post.
  17. ↑ "Cooks Guide". Cooks Guide. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  18. 1 2 "The origin of pancake racing". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  19. ↑ "Olney Pancake Race". ukstudentlife.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  20. ↑ 2007 Archived 6 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  21. ↑ "Liberal wins 60th Int'l Pancake race". United Press International (UPI). Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  22. ↑ (7 February 2008), "Pancake traditions in village", Longridge News, accessed 16 June 2010
  23. ↑ "Mardi Gras Dates". Nutrias.org. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
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