Happy Pancake Day!

Today is an excellent day on the UK holiday calendar and arguably, I reckon, the best one. No gifts for others, no real pressure, no need to leave your home. Just lovely pancakes in your preferred style, enjoyed from the comfort of your own sofa.

If you weren’t aware, today isn’t formally known as Pancake Day. I know, I know, it’s a day all about pancakes. However, it’s actually a Christian tradition that falls the day before Lent begins.

So, what is Shrove Tuesday?

On their website, Historic UK explains: “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” (absolved from their sins).”

People were called to confession by the ringing of a bell, which came to be known and is still known today as the ‘pancake bell’.

What is Lent?

BBC Newsround explains: “Lent is a period of 40 days where Christians remember the events leading up to and including the death of Jesus Christ. Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God, and his life and teachings are the foundation of Christianity.

“Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray for 40 days and 40 nights before beginning God’s work. Lent to many Christians is a time to give things up and test their willpower.”

BBC Newsround went on to explain that millions of people do this as a sign of sacrifice and for Christians, it is done to represent Jesus Christ’s sacrifice when he went to the desert to pray and fast for 40 days before dying on the cross.

Accordint to the Bible, Jesus came back to life on Easter Sunday which is the most important day in the Christian calendar.

Why do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?

Well, it all comes down to Lent. As this was a time of fasting, it was essential that certain ingredients that were in the home were used up before the fasting period began as many people gave up animal products such as milk and eggs entirely. 

What better way to do this than with pancakes?

Plus, taking away those ingredients removed the temptations that would likely pop up throughout the fasting period. 

On their website, National Geographic Kids reveals: “Pancakes have become such a popular Shrove Tuesday tradition that on this day, a whopping 52 million eggs are used in the UK alone!

“That’s 22 million more than your average day. Egg-citing stuff!”

Enjoy your pancakes!