Thank you to our fabulous St. Vincent’s Parent’s Association who had a very busy afternoon making pancakes for every child in the school. This was such a treat and a delicious way to mark Shrove Tuesday.
Do you know why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?
Shrove Tuesday is the day before the start of Lent, the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert. Traditionally, Traditionally Christians mark the period of Lent with prayers and fasting, abstaining from a whole range of foods, including meat, eggs, fish, fats and milk. The word ‘shrove’ comes from the old Roman Catholic practice of being ‘shriven’ – meaning to confess one’s sins. The shriving bell would be rung on Shrove Tuesday to call people to church to confess.
Before Lent could begin in earnest, all edible temptations needed to be removed. This took place over a period of days known as ‘Shrovetide’. On Shrove Tuesday eggs, butter and stocks of fat would be used up. One of the easiest ways to use these items was to turn them into pancakes, a custom which continues, and is also known as Pancake Day.
