Pancake Day

Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) is the day before Ash Wednesday and is a period of fasting. It's the beginning of Lent and many rich foods such as butter and eggs are forbidden.

Pancake Tuesday is celebrated in the UK, Ireland and Australia and many other protestant and catholic countries such as the USA, France, Greece, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Spain and many others.

The day is translated as Fat Tuesday and in France and some parts of the USA it's celebrated as Mardi Gras which translates as grease / Fat Tuesday.

In Catholic countries such as Spain and Brazil it's also celebrated as Carnival and is the time when rich foods are eaten before Lent which lasts for 40 days.

In Greece and Cyprus the period of fasting before Easter is called 'Apokria' and starts during the month of February at Carnival-time. The first week is called Meat Week (Kreatini) and you can eat mea. The second week is cheese week (Tyrini) and then after this rich foods and meat are not eaten again until Easter Sunday.

In Sweden Fat Tuesday is called Fettisdagen (translates as fat Tuesday) and on this day the semlor is eaten (a bun filled with cream and marzipan).

Since the 15th century villages and towns have held a pancake race. The first race was held in Olney in Buckinghamshire and the tradition is still enjoyed by many and the race is run tossing a pancake in a pan.

The fasting stops on Easter Sunday when everyone enjoys a feast and the obligatory hot cross buns and chocolate easter eggs.