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In the Christian calendar, Shrove Tuesday
is the Tuesday before Ash
Wednesday, which in turn marks the beginning of Lent. In many countries in Europe and America this is the last day
of Carnival. In some historically Francophone places it is Mardi Gras, French for "Fat
Tuesday"; the most famous celebration under this name is New Orleans Mardi Gras.
The origin of the name Shrove lies in the archaic English verb "to shrive" which means to absolve people of their sins. It was common
in the Middle Ages for "shriveners" (priests) to hear people's confessions at this time, to prepare them for Lent.
Food Traditions
In Ireland Shrove Tuesday is known as "Pancake Tuesday", while in Britain it is popularly known as "Pancake Day". In Ireland the traditional
pancake is a very thin one (very like a French crepe) which is served immediately sprinkled with caster sugar and a dash of fresh lemon juice.
In Sweden Shrove Tuesday, is just as in France known as "Fat Tuesday", or
Fettisdagen in Swedish. The day is marked by eating
traditional Swedish pastry, called Semla. Supposedly, the pastry is only to be eaten on
this day but it is seasonally availiable from New Year until the beginning of Lent.
In Poland, and also in areas of the United States with large Polish populations, pączki are a
common find.
The practice of eating pancakes and pastry began when Christians in the
Middle Ages had to abstain from all animal products during the forty days of
Lent which necessitated the consumption of all eggs and milk no later than Shrove Tuesday.
A famous pancake race at Olney in Buckinghamshire has been held since 1445.
Shrove Tuesday in England
Many towns throughout England held traditional Shrove Tuesday football ('mob football') games dating as far back as the 12th century. The practice mostly died out with the passing of the 1835 Highways Act, which banned
the playing of football on public highways but a number of towns have managed to maintain the tradition to the present day
including Alnwick in Northumberland, Ashbourne in
Derbyshire (called the Royal Shrovetide Football Match), Atherstone in
Warwickshire, and Sedgefield in County Durham.
See also
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