A feast to celebrate the arrival of spring, a pagan celebration has been started that is one of the most extravagant celebrations and it is called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. Pancake day or Shrove Tuesday comes before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. What is Lent? Well, Lent is the 40-day fasting season before Easter starts. Shrove Tuesday is when everyone can eat as many pancakes as they want!
Every year the city of London turns into the heaven of pancakes with some delightful variations and interesting toppings. However, this day changes every year according to Easter. This year Shrove Tuesday falls on March 1. Now the real question arises, why do people celebrate pancake day?
It is because some believe that the four ingredients used in a pancake is actually representing the four pillars of the Christian faith. Flour is the staff of life, eggs as creation, milk is purity, and salt is wholesomeness.
Although this day is an important celebration of Christian tradition it is widely celebrated around the world who do not believe in it. The word ‘shrove’ means ‘to obtain absolution from all the sins by a way of confession and penance’. The word is driven from the English word ‘shrive.’
On this day, people come to confess and ring a bell this bell is called the ‘pancake bell’ and it is still ringing in some churches. Another interesting thing takes place on this day. In the United Kingdom, a pancake race takes place every year.
These pancake races play an important part in the Shrove Tuesday celebrations. It is an opportunity for large numbers of people to race down the streets while tossing pancakes. The main object of the race is to get to the finishing line first by carrying a frying pan with a cooked pancake in it and flipping the pancake while you run.
Many people in the United Kingdom still believe in it and celebrate this day with so much enthusiasm. To know about this interesting celebration, it is more likely to be celebrated around every corner of the world. The tradition inspires people to remember it and let people know about the history of Pancake Day or you can call it Shrove Tuesday.
