So, what would we do without google to check that today is in fact Shrove Tuesday, the last tuesday before Lent and therefore pancake day.. Which I shall avoid I think.
Appears that Shrove Tuesday is always 47 days before Easter, meaning it can be any time between 3rd February and 9th March in the UK. Of course some other countries have a fixed Easter date - I found that when we went out to Crete and easter was completely different time.
I had not previously realised that Mardi Gras is the same thing - it is the name for Shrove Tuesday in France and French speaking and catholic areas - meaning Fat Tuesday for the same reason - a chance to eat up the luxury goods like eggs and milk and fat and flour which may go off in Lent .....
In Iceland people celebrate Sprengidagur (The Day of Bursting)
In Greece it’s called Apocreas (from the meat) as many Greek Christians give up meat during Lent.
The day takes its name from "shriving"—the pre-Lenten confession and absolution of the faithful as a preparation for Lent that was common in the European Middle Ages. Feasting on foods initially prohibited during Lent, such as meat, eggs, and milk products, was integral to Shrove Tuesday observance.
The German term Fastnacht and the Dutch Vastenavond (eve of the fast) refer to the Lenten fast about to begin, while the French mardi gras, the Italian martedì grasso, and the Portuguese terça-feira gorda, all meaning "Fat Tuesday," refer to the feasting on foods rich in fat prior to the austerity of Lent.
The Spanish term martes de carnaval (Carnival Tuesday) possibly reflects the formerly rigorous Lenten abstinence from meat commencing on Ash Wednesday and lasting through the forty days of Lent.
The word "carnival" is thought to derive from Medieval Latin carnem levare, which means 'to take away or remove meat'.
In Britain this three-day period of ludic license was called Shrovetide. Various sports were common, especially games of football. One form of cruel sport prevalent at Shrovetide was pelting cocks and wagering, and this was still practiced in areas of English settlement in Ireland in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Shrovetide was also a period of dietary license, and foods forbidden in Lent were consumed in abundance. Eggs and milk were at one time forbidden in Lent and therefore any supplies had to be used up before Ash Wednesday. On Shrove Monday, in parts of England, meat and eggs were eaten, or gifts of pancakes, flour, eggs, or money to provide Shrove Tuesday fare were collected by children or adults, who often recited a "shroving" verse. Refusal to contribute could result in shard-or stone-throwing, or loud knocking with clubs on doors.
Shrove Tuesday was also known as "Pancake Day" in England. After the Reformation, the Shriving Bell, which had hitherto called parishioners to be shriven, signaled the commencement of revelry and pancake-making.
In parts of Wales children formerly collected pancake ingredients, while in the Isle of Man, pancake-making has apparently replaced the older custom of serving oatmeal and gravy for midday dinner and meat and pancakes in the evening.
Sawnsea Jack added more in his Blog back in 2014 ...
In Scotland, beef was eaten on Shrove Tuesday (also called "Fastern's E'en") to ensure household prosperity. Oatmeal bannocks enriched with eggs and milk were baked, and, together with the beef broth, were used in marriage divination by the inclusion of a ring to betoken marriage, or other items to indicate the rank or occupation of the future marriage partner. The identity of the beloved might be revealed in dreams induced by placing a bannock under the pillow.
A quick look in the Lexicon of Catholic Information I also find that today is the St Teilo's Day
St Teilo was a Welsh bishop, also called Eliud, Issell, Teillo, Teilou, Dub, and Theliau. A native of Penally, Pembrokshire, Wales, he studied under Sts. Dyfrig and Dubricius. He accompanied the famed St. David ofWales to Jerusalem and was a friend and assistant to St. Samson in Brittany, France, for seven years. Returning to Wales in 554, he was quite successful as a preacher and founded and served as abbot-bishop of Llandaff monastery in Dyfed, Wales. He was buried in Llandaff Cathedral.Llandeilo is named after him - as is my own Masonic Lodge...
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday - thought I would mention..
Cheers...
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