Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day

Shrove Tuesday is a day of celebration and penitence, because it's the last day before Lent. In the United Kingdom, and in other countries too, people eat foods that traditionally aren't allowed during Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent (Quaresima). It is traditional on this day to eat pancakes.
Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to eat the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day. A pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of butter and fried in a pan. Superfine sugar is sprinkled over the top and a dash of fresh lemon juice is added. The pancake is then rolled. Some people add golden syrup or jam.

Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday (il mercoledì delle ceneri) and is the final day before the beginning of Lent, a Christian festival leading up to Easter Day. Shrove Tuesday always falls about 40 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year.

The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the past, people used to confess their sins so that they could be forgiven before Lent.