Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) Tradition, Portland, Dorset

Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) 20th February 2007 at All Saints Church, Rectory Green, Easton, Portland, Dorset. Shrove Tuesday is the term used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia to refer to the day after Shrove Monday (or the more old fashioned Collop Monday) and before Ash Wednesday (the liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday). In these countries, particularly Ireland, and amongst Anglicans, Lutherans and possibly other protestant denominations in Canada, this day is also known as Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday, because it is customary to eat pancakes on this day. In other parts of the world—for example, in historically Catholic and French-speaking parts of the United States and elsewhere—this day is called Mardi Gras. In areas with large Polish-immigrant populations (for example, Chicago and Detroit) it is known as Paczki Day. And in areas with large German-immigrant populations (for example, Pennsylvania Dutch Country) it is known as Fasnacht Day or Fauschnaut Day. The French also have a festival associated with pancakes (crêpes) which is held on February 2 each year. This festival is called Chandeleur and is a celebration of light (the name is derived from the word “chandelle” which also gave the English word “candle”. The festival is known as Candlemas in English). It is thought that pancakes are associated to this celebration because of the solar symbolic of their shape and color. A traditional food for Mardi Gras are sweet fried dumplings …