‘Pancake Day’ presents many with the chance to perhaps experiment in the kitchen or even sit down to an arguably unconventional meal with family and friends. This tradition is widely acknowledged and celebrated across the UK, with ‘Statistics View’ estimating that an impressive 117 million pancakes were made in Britain alone on the 25th February- but to what does this day owe its historical origins?
‘Pancake Day’, a historically Christian celebration, is also commonly referred to as ‘Shrove Tuesday’ and falls the day before ‘Ash Wednesday’, which marks the beginning of Lent. ‘Shrove Tuesday’ has been celebrated for centuries and was originally associated with, and intended to be a day of confession, absolving any sin before the beginning of a holy period for reflection. The preparation and consumption of pancakes became customary because they include ingredients such as ‘eggs, sugar and fat’, which are commonly banned during the succeeding Lenten fast.
This is certainly customary in the UK and many areas of Europe, but how is ‘Shrove Tuesday’ celebrated in other parts of the world? In New Orleans in Louisiana, Pancake Day is often referred to as ‘Mardi Gras’. ‘Mardi Gras’, translating to ‘Fat Tuesday ‘, in French, is celebrated from the 6th January to the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival was established in the United States when the French-Canadian explorer, ‘Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville’, arrived in New Orleans on 3rd March 1699 and introduced the tradition, christening the town ‘Le Point de Mardi Gras’. It is marked with a series of colourful parades and festivals, eliciting the wearing of masks and traditional colours: purple, representing justice; gold, representing power; and green, representing faith. However, it dates back thousands of years to the Pagan celebrations ‘Lupercalia’ and ‘Saturnalia’,which honoured spring and fertility. It spread across Europe and the rest of the world, still prolific in countries with significant Roman-Catholic populations, such as Brazil and Canada.
Indeed, it would appear that ‘Pancake Day’ for many upholds great religious significance, whereas for some it is merely an opportunity to come together and enjoy a meal with loved ones. However, the agreement across cultures and continents is seemingly unanimous: this day is to be enjoyed. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said ‘The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience’.
By Hattie Clark
