Pancake Day

Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday as it is officially known, is celebrated on the 47th day before Easter Sunday. It is also the last day before the start of the period that Christians refer to as Lent. The day usually falls between the 3rd of February and the 9th of March. This year it is today, the 5th of February.

So why is it called Shrove Tuesday? The word shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began. Lent is also a time of abstinence and of giving things up and since Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the beginning of Lent it was traditionally the last chance for people to use up all the typical foods that were forbidden during Lent. These forbidden foods included eggs, butter, and fat, the ingredients for a good pancake. Hence the name Pancake Day.

Nowadays in Britain, people tend to use Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) as an excuse to get out their frying pan, toss a few pancakes high in the air without hitting the ceiling and fill their faces with scrumptious food! There is even a world famous Olney Pancake Race (as in the above photos taken circa 1950). I wasn't really aware that people took part in pancake races but apparently this tradition is so popular and fun that some Americans decided to copy it and take it to Liberal, Kansas.

This Youtube video will show you how to make pancakes while listening to some random music and a very amusing pancake song. I warn you that it is little strange!



If you want a more serious and mature way of learning how to make pancakes with spoken English instructions go to videojug.

Or if the first Youtube video wasn't weird enough for you, look at this one for serious insanity

Happy Pancake Day!