By Samantha Day • 25 February 2020 • 8:02
PANCAKE DAY is almost upon us and people up and down the country are already fantasising about the incredible toppings they can gorge on tomorrow. Where did Pancake Day originate from? Why do we celebrate it?
Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is traditionally a date on which you use up your basic foodstuffs before the beginning of Lent. Nowadays the occasion is celebrated with pancakes topped with melted chocolate or covered in berries. But why do we celebrate this date?
Pancake Day – or Shrove Tuesday – is on February 25 this year.
The date of Shrove Tuesday changes every year, as it is dependent on when Easter falls.
Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between February 3 and March 9.
However, Pancake Day always precedes Ash Wednesday, which makes the first day of Lent.
And the celebration will always be held in either February or March.
Shrove Tuesday is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday.
Lent marks the 40 days leading up to Easter and was traditionally a time of fasting.
Shrove Tuesday was also the last opportunity to use up basic foodstuffs, such as eggs, before starting the Lent fasting.
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