In the Western Christian calendar, shrovetide refers to the week before Lent. The word “shrove” is derived from the English word “shrive” which means “to confess” or “to receive absolution”. Shrovetide’s most famous day is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), also known as Mardi Gras.
Shrovetide, also the official ending of the Christmas season, is the time when people would begin to put aside all of the feasting and merriment of the holidays and move into a time of fasting and confession in anticipation of Easter. Although most people no longer live according to the liturgical season, we still celebrate parts of shrovetide without even understanding why.
Although Christmas officially ends on the Epiphany (January 6), the season itself continues until Ash Wednesday. This time was called “Carnival”, derived from the Latin words carnem levare which means to eat flesh. Although partying is fun, there was a point to this season. It was a time to eat up the stores of meat and grain that had been put away for winter before it spoiled. It wasn’t about all-out partying so much as making sure that no food went to waste. By Ash Wednesday (in late winter or early spring), all of the rich, hard to store foods should have been eaten. Mardi Gras, the French words meaning Fat Tuesday, wasn’t about debauchery or getting fat before the Lenten fasts. It literally meant that all of the fats stored in the pantry should be eaten. Because after this date, it would probably go rancid.
So shrovetide, the last week before Lent began, was basically a time to clean out the pantry and eat as much as you could before it went bad. Then, when Lent began, it was easier to focus on things like confessing your sins, fasting, and renewing your faith. Lent also coincides with the preparations for Spring plantings as well as the birth of farm animals. As the centuries passed, and food production became more universal, this last day before Lent became known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday. Since people were no longer worried about food storage, and pancakes were one of the meals historically cooked on the last night before Lent, they celebrated the tradition by making pancakes. Now, churches around the world, offer Pancake Dinners after services on Tuesday night.
This week of shrovetide has always reminded me of the week between Christmas and New Year’s. A quiet time of cleaning up, putting away, and reflection. Yet, although this is the official end of the Christmas season, and we are now going into 40 days of sacrifice and fasting, there’s reason to celebrate. Spring is coming. And with that, the entire world is renewed. Lambs are born, seeds are planted, trees and flowers bloom, and we even deep clean our homes. All of those things point to one thing–Winter is almost over. And that’s always a cause for celebration.
Here is a recipe for Shrove Tuesday pancakes I received from my grandmother. It’s a recipe that is from either Ireland or Scotland. They are a cross between an American pancake and a French Crepe, and they’re served with powdered sugar and lemon juice. I hope you enjoy them!
Shrove Tuesday Pancakes
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup whole milk (NOT low fat)
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 cups minus 1 Tablespoon flour sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- sugar or powdered sugar for topping optional
- fresh lemon juice for topping optional
Instructions
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Heat an electric griddle to 350℉ and preheat the oven to 250℉.
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In a large bowl with an electric mixer, stir all the ingredients together (except for the toppings). Let the batter is for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, butter the griddle.
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Lower the griddle's heat and drop the batter (about a 1/3 of a cup) onto the griddle for each pancake. Brown on both (about 45 seconds per side) and remove. If you have a lot of pancakes to make, keep them in the oven until serving. Otherwise, serve immediately with powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice.
