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!

Groundhog Day

Today in the States and Canada it is Groundhog Day. A groundhog, the animal you can see in the picture, is also known as a woodchuck, a marmot or a ground squirrel. Tradition states that if this animal should come out of its burrow (home) on this day and fail to see its own shadow due to clouds, winter is almost over. However if it does see its shadow it will return to its burrow and winter will last another 6 weeks. The most famous Groundhog Day celebrations take place in a Pennsylvania town called Punxsutawney.

Perhaps you have heard or even seen the Bill Murray film, Groundhog Day, where the main character is forced to relive the day over and over again until he learns an important lesson in life.

And perhaps in class, your teacher has tried to get you to say the following tongue-twister:

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
And chuck as much as a woodchuck would
If a woodchuck could chuck wood.

What have you resolved to do this year?

The New Year is often seen as a time to look back on the past twelve months and forward to the year ahead and make new decisions or promises to ourselves about what we want to achieve. Have you resolved to do anything in particular this year? According to About.com, the top ten New Year Resolutions in America are the following:

1. Spend more time with family and friends
2. Go to the gym / get fit
3. Lose weight
4. Quit smoking
5. Enjoy life more
6. Quit drinking
7. Get out of debt
8. Learn something new
9. Help others
10. Get organised

What are your New Year Resolutions? Or do you think it is all a big waste of time?

Happy New Year to All!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR. How did you see in the new year? Did you eat your twelve lucky grapes, as is tradition in Spain? Did you open presents, as is customary in Greece or did you throw a bucket of water off your balcony, as is traditional in Puerto Rico?

In many English speaking countries it is common to sing Auld Lang Syne when the clock has struck midnight. This is a song and poem that was written by the Scottish poet, Robert Burns.

You can check out a Kareoke Video of the song on Youtube.