For some, Pancake Day is Sunday, every Sunday. But for centuries these temptingly delicious desserts have had a day in their honor.
International Pancake Day is not celebrated on a set date but on Shrove Tuesday, which falls on a different day each year.
But the day chosen is not random by any means. For Catholics, Protestants, Anglicans and Calvinists, Shrove Tuesday is always observed on the Tuesday of the 7th week before Easter.
The next day, Ash Wednesday, is the first day of Lent. Therefore this is also the last Tuesday before Easter during which believers can eat pancakes because it is also the last day they are allowed to consume milk, eggs and other dairy products.
In fact, Pancake Day, which is eagerly celebrated by Catholics, Protestants, Anglicans and Calvinists, has pagan origins.
It is believed that the tradition surrounding this day comes from a small village whose residents would organize a strange pancake race each year.
Traditionally, every lady of the house participated in the race. Each of the participants had to make her own pancakes, then they would all race to see who among them could flip the pancakes in her pan for as long as possible, while walking. The prize for the winner was a prayer book or Bible.
Of course, the English are not the only ones so obsessed with pancakes to have dedicated an entire day to them. In other parts of the world, Pancake Day is known as Mardi Gras (meaning Fat Tuesday in French) or Fasnacht (carnival).
But let's go back to the British and their bizarre race of flipping pancakes while running a marathon. This tradition is believed to have appeared at around the 15th century, all thanks to a British housewife who was just extremely distressed at the time.
According to legend, the person in question ran for the church to confess her sins, all while preparing pancakes for her family. But whether the priest got a tasty pancake or not, there's no way for us to know.
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