Pancake Day 2018: Where did Pancake Day originate from? Why do we celebrate it?
PANCAKE Day 2018 is the one time a year when Britons are encouraged to indulge in a scrumptious serving of pancakes. But where does the tasty holiday originate from?
Nigella Lawson makes delicious oat pancakes
The popular holiday known to many as Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras in some parts of the world takes place next week.
Pancake Day is always observed 47 days before Easter, and falls on the Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday.
This year Britons will tuck into their delicious treats on Tuesday February 13.
But why do we eat pancakes on this day?
Pancake Day 2018: What is Shrove Tuesday? Why do we eat pancakes?
Despite being typically considered a pop cultural event, Pancake Day has significant roots in Christianity and the Easter Holidays.
Shrove Tuesday, as most Christians refer to it, is the Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent.
The day of feasting is believed to be named after the old English word Shriven, which means apologising for sins or going to confession.
Because Lent always starts on Ash Wednesday, Tuesday became a popular day for many Christians to go to confession at the last minute.
Shrove Tuesday was also the very last chance to feast on fattening ingredients and tasty treats which would have otherwise been given up for Lent.
Many of these foods included milk, eggs and butter – the key ingredients to making the perfect fluffy pancakes.
As such, Pancake Day always fall on a Tuesday between February and March.
This is due to the date being predetermined by the arrival of Easter Sunday.
Unlike Christmas which has a set date, the holiest day in Christianity is observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the first day of Spring.
Once the date is known, Pancake Day will fall exactly 47 days earlier.
Last year the day was observed on February 28 and next year it will fall on March 5.
How is Pancake Day celebrated?
The easiest way to celebrate Pancake Tuesday is to tuck into a steaming plate of homemade pancakes.
But depending on where you live in the world, your local customs and observations will vary to great degrees.
In the UK, it is traditional for children to race down the streets of their villages while tossing pancakes in frying pans.
It is believed that the fun competition dates back to the 15 century when a Buckinghamshire woman frantically ran to her church for confession, forgetting she had a pan of pancakes in her hand.
In those parts of the world where Pancake Day is known as Mardi Gras – French for Fat Tuesday – the streets break out into joyous dance, carnivals and celebratory song.
The most popular of these celebrations are the street festivals in New Orleans, US, and on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.