| Shrove Tuesday | |
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 Pieter Bruegel the Elder:The Fight Between Carnival and Lent (detail), 1559 | |
| Also called |
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| Observed by | Christians (includingAnglicans,Catholics,Lutherans,Methodists)[1] |
| Type | Christian |
| Observances | Confession, the ritual burning of the previous year'sPalm Sunday branches, finalizing one'sLenten sacrifice, eatingpancakes and other sweets |
| Date | Concluding day ofCarnival orShrovetide; the day before the start of Lent onAsh Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is always placed 47 days before the westernEaster Sunday |
| 2026 date | February 17 |
| 2027 date | February 9 |
| 2028 date | February 29 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | |
Shrove Tuesday (also known asPancake Tuesday orPancake Day) is the final day ofShrovetide, which marks the end of thepre-Lenten season.Lent begins the following day withAsh Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is observed in manyChristian countries through participating inconfession, the ritual burning of the previous year'sHoly Week palms, finalizing one'sLenten sacrifice, as well as eatingpancakes and other sweets.[2][3]
Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, includingAnglicans,Lutherans,Methodists,Western-rite Orthodox Christians, andRoman Catholics,[4] who "make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with."[5] Thismoveable feast is determined bythe date ofEaster. The expression "Shrove Tuesday" comes from the wordshrive, meaningabsolution following confession.[6][7] Christians traditionally visit their church on Shrove Tuesday to confess their sins and clean their soul, thus beingshriven (absolved) before the start of Lent.[6]
As this is the last day of the Christian liturgical season historically known asCarnival orShrovetide, before the penitential season ofLent, related popular practices, such as indulging in food that one might give up as theirLenten sacrifice for the upcoming forty days, are associated with Shrove Tuesday celebrations. The termMardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins onAsh Wednesday. Many Christian congregations thus observe the day through eating pancakes or, more specifically, the holding ofpancake breakfasts, as well as the ringing ofchurch bells to remind people to repent of their sins before the start of Lent.[2][8] On Shrove Tuesday, churches also burn the palms distributed during the previous year's Palm Sunday liturgies to make the ashes used during the services held on the very next day,Ash Wednesday.[3]
In some Christian countries, especially those where the day is calledMardi Gras or a translation thereof, it is acarnival day, the last day of "fat eating" or "gorging" before the fasting period of Lent.[7] Additionally, since 1958, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates theFeast of the Holy Face of Jesus on Shrove Tuesday.[9][10]
The tradition of marking the start of Lent has been documented for centuries.Ælfric of Eynsham's "Ecclesiastical Institutes" from around 1000 AD states: "In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him as he then may hear by his deeds what he is to do [in the way of penance]".[11] By the time of the lateMiddle Ages, the celebration of Shrovetide lasted until the start of Lent.[12]
During the liturgical season of Lent, believers have historically abstained from rich foods such as meat, eggs, lacticinia (dairy products), and alcohol—a practice that continues inEastern Christianity (in denominations such as theCoptic Orthodox Church) and amongWestern Christian congregations practicing theDaniel Fast.[13][14][15] Shrovetide provided Christians with the opportunity to use up these foods prior to the start of the 40-day fasting season of Lent.[16][17][18] Prior to the 6th century, Lent was normatively observed through the practice of the Black Fast, which enjoins fasting from food and liquids, with the allowance of onevegetarian meal after sunset.[17][19] The tradition ofpancake breakfasts during Shrovetide, as well as that of pancake races, owes itself to this practice of "using up the surplus eggs, milk and butter" prior to Lent.[16][20] As such, it was traditional in many societies to eat pancakes or other foods made with the butter, eggs and fat or lard that would need to be used up before the beginning of Lent. Similar foods arefasnachts andpączki.[20] The specific custom of British Christians eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday dates to the 16th century.[20]
Along with its emphasis on feasting, another theme of Shrove Tuesday involves Christiansrepenting of their sins in preparation to begin the season of Lent in the Christianliturgical calendar.[21] In many Christian parish churches, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, a popular Shrove Tuesday tradition is the ringing of thechurch bells (on this day, the toll is known as the Shriving Bell) "to call the faithful to confession before the solemn season of Lent" and for people to "begin frying their pancakes".[2][22]
The wordshrove is a form of the English wordshrive, which means to giveabsolution for someone'ssins by way ofConfession and doingpenance. Thus Shrove Tuesday was named after the custom of Christians to be "shriven" before the start of Lent.[23]
In theUnited Kingdom,Ireland and parts of theCommonwealth, Shrove Tuesday is also known asPancake Day orPancake Tuesday, as it became a traditional custom to eatpancakes as a meal.[24][25][26][27][12] InIrish the day is known asMáirt Inide, from theLatininitium (Jejūniī), "beginning ofLent".[28] Elsewhere, the day has also been called "Mardi Gras", meaning "Fat Tuesday", after the type of celebratory meal that day.[29]
InGermany, the day is known asFastnachtsdienstag,Faschingsdienstag,Karnevalsdienstag orVeilchendienstag (the last of which translates to violet [the flower] Tuesday). It is celebrated with fancy dress and a partial school holiday. Similarly, inGerman American areas, such asPennsylvania Dutch Country, it is known asFastnacht Day.[30]
In theNetherlands, it is known as "vastenavond", or inLimburgish dialect "vastelaovend", though the word "vastelaovend" usually refers to the entire period ofcarnival in the Netherlands.[31] In some parts ofSwitzerland (e.g.Lucerne), the day is calledGüdeldienstag orGüdisdienstag (preceded by Güdismontag). According to theDuden dictionary, the term derives from "Güdel", which means a fat belly stuffed full of food.[32]
InPortuguese-,Spanish- andItalian-speaking countries, among others, it is known asCarnival (to use theEnglish spelling). This derives from Medieval Latincarnelevamen ("the putting away of flesh")[33] and thus to another aspect of the Lenten fast, to abstain from eating meat. It is often celebrated with street processions or fancy dress.[31]
The most famous of these events has become theBrazilian Carnival inRio de Janeiro. Venetians have long celebrated carnival with amasquerade.[34] The use of the term "carnival" in other contexts derives from this celebration. In Spain, the Carnival Tuesday is named "día de la tortilla" ("omelette day"): an omelette made with some sausage or pork fat is eaten. On the Portuguese island ofMadeira,malasadas are eaten onTerça-feira Gorda (Fat Tuesday in English), which is also the last day of theCarnival of Madeira. Malasadas were cooked in order to use up all the lard and sugar in the house, in preparation for Lenten restrictions.[35] This tradition was taken toHawaii, where Shrove Tuesday is known asMalasada Day, which dates back to the days of the sugar plantations of the 1800s. The resident CatholicPortuguese workers (who came mostly from Madeira and theAzores) used up butter and sugar prior to Lent by making large batches ofmalasadas.[36]
In the Lutheran countries ofDenmark andNorway, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is calledFetetirsdag ("Fat Tuesday"); the prior weekend is known asFastelavn and is marked by eatingfastelavnsboller. Fastelavn is the name for Carnival in Denmark, held either on the Sunday orMonday before Ash Wednesday.[37] This holiday occurs seven weeks before Easter Sunday, with children dressing up in costumes and gathering treats for the Fastelavn feast. The holiday is generally considered to be a time for children's fun and family games and on Shrove Sunday, "the churches hold a special family service where children are invited to wear fancy dress."[38][39]
InIceland, the day is known asSprengidagur (Bursting Day) and is marked by eating salted meat and peas.[35] InLithuania, the day is calledUžgavėnės. People eatpancakes (blynai) and Lithuanian-styledoughnuts.[40][41]
InSweden, the day is calledFettisdagen (Fat Tuesday), and is generally celebrated by eating a type ofalmond paste-filledsweet roll calledsemla orfastlagsbulle.[35][42] InFinland, the day is calledlaskiainen and is generally celebrated by eating green pea soup andsemla, in Finland known aslaskiaispulla orfastlagsbulle, and typically filled with whipped cream and jam or almond paste. InEstonia, the day is similarly calledVastlapäev and is generally celebrated by eating pea soup and whipped-cream or jam and whipped-cream filled sweet-buns calledvastlakukkel, similar to thesemla. Children also typically go sledding on this day.[43][44]
InPoland, a related celebration falls on the Thursday beforeAsh Wednesday and is calledtłusty czwartek (Fat Thursday). In some areas of theUnited States with large Polish-American communities, such asChicago,Milwaukee,Detroit, andBuffalo,Tłusty Czwartek is celebrated withpączki orfaworki eating contests, music and other Polish food. It may be held on Shrove Tuesday or in the days immediately preceding it.[45]
InSlovenia,Kurentovanje is also the biggest and best known carnival.[46] There are several more local carnivals usually referred to asLaufarija. InHungary, and the Hungarian-speaking territories, it is calledHúshagyókedd [hu][47] (lit. 'the Tuesday leaving the meat') and is celebrated by fancy dress and visiting neighbours.
Shrove Tuesday serves a dual purpose of allowing Christians to repent of any sins they might have committed before the start ofLent on the next dayAsh Wednesday and giving them the opportunity to engage in a last round of merriment before the start of the somber Lenten season, which is characterized by making aLenten sacrifice,fasting,praying and engaging in variousspiritual disciplines, such as marking aLenten calendar, fasting, abstaining from luxuries, and reading adaily devotional.[1]
The Lentenfast traditionally emphasizes eating simpler,vegetarian food, and refraining from food that would give undue pleasure; as such, Christians historically abstained from meat, eggs and lacticinia (dairy products) during the 40-day fasting season of Lent—a practice that continues inEastern Christianity and amongWestern Christian congregations practicing theDaniel Fast.[13][14][15][48] Pancakes are associated with Shrove Tuesday, the day preceding Lent, because they are a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent.[16]
InNewfoundland andCape Breton Island, small tokens are frequently cooked in the pancakes. Children take delight in discovering the objects, which are intended to be divinatory. For example, the person who receives a coin will be wealthy; a nail indicates that they will become or marry a carpenter.[49][50]
On the final day of Shrovetide, Shrove Tuesday, many traditional Christians, such asAnglicans,Lutherans,Methodists andRoman Catholics,[51] "make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with."[52] As such, many churches offerConfession on Shrove Tuesday.[53][54][55]
On Shrove Tuesday, many Christians finalize their decision with respect to whatLenten sacrifices they will make for Lent.[56] While making a Lenten sacrifice, it is customary topray for strength to keep it; many often wish others for doing so as well, e.g. "May God bless your Lenten sacrifice."[57][58]
During Shrovetide, many churches place a basket in thenarthex to collect the previous year'sHoly Week palm branches that were blessed and distributed during thePalm Sunday liturgies; on Shrove Tuesday, churches burn thesepalms to make the ashes used during the services held on the very next day, Ash Wednesday.[3][59]
In theUnited Kingdom, as part of community celebration, many towns held traditional Shrove Tuesday "mob football" games, some dating as far back as the 17th century.[60] The practice mostly died out in the 19th century after the passing of theHighway Act 1835 which banned playing football on public highways.[61] A number of towns have maintained the tradition, includingAlnwick inNorthumberland (Scoring the Hales),[62]Ashbourne inDerbyshire (called theRoyal Shrovetide Football),[63]Atherstone inWarwickshire (called simply theAtherstone Ball Game),[64]St Columb Major inCornwall (calledHurling the Silver Ball), andSedgefield inCounty Durham (Sedgefield Ball Game).[65]
Shrove Tuesday was once known as a "half-holiday" in Britain. It started at 11:00 am with the ringing of a church bell.[66] On Pancake Day, "pancake races" are held in villages and towns across the United Kingdom. The tradition is said to have originated in 1445 when a housewife fromOlney, Buckinghamshire, was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard thechurch bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house to church while still carrying herfrying pan and pancake, tossing it to prevent it from burning.[67][68] The pancake race remains a relatively common festive tradition in the UK, especiallyEngland. Participants with frying pans race through the streets tossing pancakes into the air and catching them in the pan while running.[69] The pancake race at Olney traditionally has women contestants who carry a frying pan and race over a 415-yard (379 m) course to the finishing line. The rules are strict: contestants must toss the pancake at the start and the finish, and wear a scarf and apron.[67]
Since 1950, the people ofLiberal, Kansas, and Olney have held the "International Pancake Day" race between the two towns. The two towns' competitors race along an agreed-upon measured course. The times of the two towns' competitors are compared to determine a winner overall. As of 2021, Liberal leads the competition with 38 wins to Olney's 31.[70] A similar race is held inNorth Somercotes inLincolnshire, England.[71]
In London, the Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race takes place every Shrove Tuesday, with teams from the British lower house (theHouse of Commons), the upper house (theHouse of Lords), and theFourth Estate, contending for the title of Parliamentary Pancake Race Champions. The fun relay race is to raise awareness of Rehab, which provides a range of health and social care, training, education, and employment services in the UK for disabled people and others who are marginalised.[72]
Scarborough celebrates by closing the foreshore to all traffic, closing schools early, and inviting all to skip. Traditionally, long ropes were used from the nearby harbour. Thetown crier rang the pancake bell, situated on the corner of Westborough (main street) and Huntriss Row. Since 1996 a replica "pancake bell" situated at Newborough and North Street has been rung to initiate the day's festivities.[73]
Shrove Tuesday in England often involved a form of ritual begging, not dissimilar towassailing, in which children and adolescents would go door-to-door asking for tidbits from the frying pan. If the household was not forthcoming, they could expect levels of mischief, including the pelting of their house, knock and run, or gate stealing. This was known as Lent Crocking, Nicky-Nan Night, the Drawing of Cloam, Dappy-Door Night, or Pan Sharding.[74] The children of the hamlet ofWhitechapel, Lancashire, keep alive a local variant of this tradition by visiting local households and asking "please a pancake", to be rewarded with oranges or sweets. It is thought this local tradition arose when farm workers visited the wealthier farm and manor owners to ask for pancakes or pancake fillings.[75]
In Ireland, the observance of fasting at Lent continued up to the 20th century, with Shrove Tuesday (Irish:Máirt na hInide,[76] "Tuesday of theinitium")[77] marking the last day of the consumption ofmeat for the Lenten period. This was later relaxed, but with three days of fasting observed, Ash Wednesday,Spy Wednesday, and Good Friday. It was a tradition that the eldest unmarried daughter would toss the first pancake. If the pancake fell on the floor, she would remain unmarried for the next 12 months. As marriages were not traditionally permitted during the Lenten period, as decreed by theCouncil of Trent, weddings on Shrove Tuesday were popular.[78][79] In some parts of Ireland theholly from Christmas was saved and burnt in the fire for the pancakes. The night was also known as "Skellig Night" inCounties Cork andKerry, during the celebrations, those who were unmarried were taunted with jeers and singing.[80]
Thin pancakes calledblini are traditional in Christian festivals inBelarus,Ukraine andRussia also at this time of year (Maslenitsa).[81]
Shrove Tuesday is exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday, amoveable feastbased on the cycles of the moon. The date can be between 3 February and 9 March inclusive.
Shrove Tuesday occurs on these dates:[82]
Related celebrations at the start ofLent
Many churches—Anglican and Methodist—celebrate Shrove Tuesday then as the beginning of the season of lent, a time to reflect and repent of wrongdoings. But, as Howard notes, it's also called Fat Tuesday, a time to load up on rich food before Lent (40 Days). "For some people it's Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, a time to fatten up before you give something up," he said.
In Anglican countries, Mardis Gras is known asShrove Tuesday-fromshrive meaning "confess"—orPancake Tuesday—after the breakfast food that symbolizes one final hearty meal of eggs, butter, and sugar before the fast. On Ash Wednesday, the morning after Mardi Gras, repentant Christians return to church to receive upon the forehead the sign of the cross in ashes.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The Church teaches us to fast until sunset. Fish is not allowed during this period. Also married couples should refrain from physical relations to give themselves time for fasting and prayer (1 Cor. 7: 5). We would like to emphasize the importance of the period of strict abstention during fasting. It is refraining from eating and drinking for a period of time, followed by eating vegetarian food. ... True fasting must be accompanied by abstention from food and drink until sunset as designated by the Church.
In some cases, entire churches do the Daniel Fast together during Lent. The idea strikes a chord in Methodist traditions, which trace their heritage to John Wesley, a proponent of fasting. Leaders in the African Methodist Episcopal Church have urged churchgoers to do the Daniel Fast together, and congregations from Washington to Pennsylvania and Maryland have joined in.
Many parishioners at St. Philip Neri are participating in the Daniel fast, a religious diet program based on the fasting experiences of the Old Testament prophet Daniel. ... participating parishioners started the fast Ash Wednesday (Feb. 10) and will continue through Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
Until relatively recently, the Lenten fast was taken so seriously in Ireland that it meant abstaining not only from meat but also eggs and all milk products. The tradition of making pancakes on Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday) came about as a practical way of using up the surplus eggs, milk and butter which would otherwise go to waste. Most Irish families still make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and the tradition of tossing pancakes not only survives but actually thrives, providing voter-friendly photo opportunities for politicians and commercial opportunities for the catering trade.
The primitive Christians in Lent broke their fast only after sunset, and then usually only with herbs, roots, and bread. At least all were obliged to abstain not only from flesh meat, but also from fish, and whatever had life; also whatever is derived from flesh, as eggs, milk, cheese, butter, according to the ancient canon. Likewise from wine, which in the primitive ages was no less forbidden on all fasting days than the use of flesh meat itself ... Some mitigations were introduced in part of abstinence in the sixth century ... Fish was in the same age allowed, but not of the dearer and more dainty kinds.
It is undoubted, that anciently to drink on fasting days was no less forbid than to eat, only in the refection after sunset.
It is undoubted, that anciently to drink on fasting days was no less forbid than to eat, only in the refection after sunset.
The association between pancakes and Shrove Tuesday appears to have its origins in the fact that the pancakes used up food such as butter, eggs and fat that were prohibited during Lent, which begins the following day on Ash Wednesday. ... Pancakes have been eaten on Shrove Tuesday since at least the sixteenth century. In some parishes, it was the custom for the church bell to ring at noon as the signal for people to begin frying their pancakes.
Then there is Shrove Tuesday, which is the day observed before Ash Wednesday or Lent. Shrove Tuesday derives from the days when the earliest practising Christians would repent of their sins and be "shriven" or pardoned.
Fastelavn is an old Christian Celebration to begin the time of lent with a big celebration of joy, food and laughter. As the time of Lent was more humble, subtle and abstinent, the evening or the day before Lent began was to be fun and filled with good food for the stomach and for the soul.
Many local churches will celebrate Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, a day of feasting commonly known as "pancake day." Shrove Tuesday is typically observed by Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist and Catholic denominations, but each church celebrates the day in its own, unique way. The Rev. Lenny Anderson of the St. Francis-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Somerset said the primary focus of Shrove Tuesday is to prepare for Lent, the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter.
While undergoing a Lenten sacrifice, it is helpful to pray for strength; and encouraging fellow Christians in their fast saying, for example: "May God bless your Lenten sacrifice."
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