When is PANCAKE DAY?

Is it this Tuesday? Or did I miss it already?

[Warpe]

That's a British thing, Dwarfie...Shrove Tuesday, right?

[Estrop]

Everyday.

[Muxy]

Shrove Tuesday
28 February 2006
Pancakes
Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent. It's a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins.

Shrove Tuesday is probably the Christian festival that the family enjoys most, after Christmas, of course.

But there's more to Shrove Tuesday than pigging out on pancakes or taking part in a public pancake race. The pancakes themselves are part of an ancient custom with deeply religious roots.

Penitence
Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the ritual of shriving that Christians used to undergo in the past. In shriving, a person confesses their sins and receives absolution for them.

When a person receives absolution for their sins, they are forgiven for them and released from the guilt and pain that they have caused them.

In the Catholic or Orthodox context, the absolution is pronounced by a priest.

This tradition is very old. Over 1000 years ago a monk wrote in the Anglo-Saxon Ecclesiastical Institutes:

In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him.

Shrove Tuesday celebrations
Shrove Tuesday is a day of celebration as well as penitence, because it's the last day before Lent.

Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent.

Giving up foods: but not wasting them
In the old days there were many foods that observant Christians would not eat during Lent: foods such as meat and fish, fats, eggs, and milky foods.

So that no food was wasted, families would have a feast on the shriving Tuesday, and eat up all the foods that wouldn't last the forty days of Lent without going off.

The need to eat up the fats gave rise to the French name Mardi Gras; meaning fat tuesday. Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday as they were a dish that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk in the house with just the addition of flour.

The origin of pancake racing
Pancake races are thought to have begun in 1445. A woman had lost track of the time on Shrove Tuesday, and was busy cooking pancakes in her kitchen.

Suddenly she heard the church bell ringing to call the faithful to church for confession. The woman raced out of her house and ran all the way to church; still holding her frying pan and wearing her apron.

Going for gold in the pancake olympics
One of the most famous pancake races is held at Olney in Buckinghamshire over a 415 yard course. The rules are strict; contestants have to toss their pancake at both the start and the finish, as well as wearing an apron and a scarf. The race is followed by a church service.

Since 1950 Olney has competed with Liberal in Kansas, which holds an identical race, to see which town can produce the fastest competitor. After the 2000 race, Liberal was leading with 26 wins to Olney's 24.

[Pelion]

there's more to Shrove Tuesday than pigging out on pancakes

No there isnt. Pancakes are a good enough reason.

[boost]

The pancakes themselves are part of an ancient custom with deeply religious roots.

O'RLY

[euphoricism]

IHOP Is giving away free pancakes on tuesday.

[Pelion]

I love IHOP but we dont have it in the UK

[Xianti]

I love IHOP but we dont have it in the UK

I thought it was "International." Or is the UK not part of the world?

[Pelion]

I love IHOP but we dont have it in the UK

I thought it was "International." Or is the UK not part of the world?

International doesnt mean international in american....

You can become "world champion" by winning competitions that only american/canadian teams are allowed to enter.

UK doesnt have IHOP. . . as far as I know nowhere outside US does (dunno if canada does).

[Xianti]

Stupid gringos.

[donkbee]

IHOP is in Canada. I went there last Tuesday and ordered over medium eggs (that came over easy), bacon, sausages, and strawberry crepes

[Xianti]

Hello, courtie.

[donkbee]

Hello Xianti, are you back now? I've missed you.

[Xianti]

Yes. I came back from Costa Rica on Tuesday night.

[Greedo017]

International doesnt mean international in american....

You can become "world champion" by winning competitions that only american/canadian teams are allowed to enter.

yea 15 years ago we took a vote and decided the worst american was still better than the best (insert country here) and we voted the rest of the world out sorry.

[boost]

IHOP sucks my balls... its only good when Im drunk cuz everything is good when Im drunk and in my drunken stupor I dont notice that Im spending 10$ to eat crap.

[bigred]

IHOP sucks my balls... its only good when Im drunk cuz everything is good when Im drunk and in my drunken stupor I dont notice that Im spending 10$ to eat crap.

Looks better than the crap you make.

[euphoricism]

IHOP all you can eat pancakes. $5.

OWNS.

[journey075]

sarah has pancake boobs.

On February 28, 2006 from 7 AM to 2 PM IHOPs across the country will celebrate National Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday)

You've fucking RENAMED Shrove Tuesday, one of Christianity's most important days?!

Bloody Americans and their stupid commercialisation.

[boost]

if your bloody holiday is so bloody important why dont we celebrate it over here? Eh? Can you tell me that? You limey bastard.

if your bloody holiday is so bloody important why dont we celebrate it over here? Eh? Can you tell me that? You limey bastard.

You do celebrate it in America...

[boost]

no we dont you stupid fuck, now shut up and die.

[Warpe]

On February 28, 2006 from 7 AM to 2 PM IHOPs across the country will celebrate National Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday)

You've fucking RENAMED Shrove Tuesday, one of Christianity's most important days?!

Bloody Americans and their stupid commercialisation.

See thread subject line for irony.

On February 28, 2006 from 7 AM to 2 PM IHOPs across the country will celebrate National Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday)

You've fucking RENAMED Shrove Tuesday, one of Christianity's most important days?!

Bloody Americans and their stupid commercialisation.

See thread subject line for irony.

Foiled again! Damnit!

[Xianti]

hahahha.. that's hilarious. dman, you silly brit.

[bigred]

On February 28, 2006 from 7 AM to 2 PM IHOPs across the country will celebrate National Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday)

You've fucking RENAMED Shrove Tuesday, one of Christianity's most important days?!

Bloody Americans and their stupid commercialisation.

See thread subject line for irony.

BWNED

[Xianti]

Dwarfman: You can't change history.