A brief history and some fun facts about “Pancake Day”
Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter – was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday, Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were “shriven” (absolved from their sins). A bell would be rung to call people to confession. This came to be called the “Pancake Bell” and is still rung today.
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. In 2021 Shrove Tuesday will fall on February 16th.
Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients.
Top 10 Facts About Pancake Day
1. Pancake Day is also known as Shrove Tuesday.
Pancake Day is also known as Shrove Tuesday!
It is also known as lots of different names across the world.
In Germany they call it ‘Fastnacht’ which means ‘eve of the fast’.
They call it Sprengidagur in Iceland which means ‘bursting day’!
2. Pancake Day is a Christian festival.
Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is actually a Christian Festival.
It always falls on the Tuesday before the beginning of Lent.
During Lent, some people give up things like chocolate and sweets.
Pancake Day marks the last day they can eat these things before Lent starts.
3. It always falls 47 days before Easter.
Did you know that although Pancake Day is on a Tuesday each year, it falls on different dates.
It is always exactly 47 days before Easter!
4. The name ‘Shrove Tuesday’ comes from the word ‘shriving’.
Shrove Tuesday comes from the word ‘shriving’.
Shriving means listening to someone’s sins and then forgiving them.
In the past Christians would use the day to confess their sins.
5. The first pancake day was in 1445.
It is believed that Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday started in 1445 in Olney.
Olney is in Buckinghamshire, England.
A lady was getting carried away with making pancakes when she heard the church bells for the Shrove Tuesday mass.
She was late! The lady ran to the church with all of her pancakes and that’s where the pancake tradition started.
6. The most pancakes flips in a minute is 140!
It’s not Pancake Day without flipping your pancake!
According to the Guinness World Records, Brad Jolly from Australia has done the most flips of a pancake in one minute.
He managed to flip the pancake 140 times.
Wow!
7. There are lots of different types of pancakes.
There are lots of different types of pancakes and toppings.
One of the most popular is lemon and sugar… but some people like chocolate spread or fruit!
Some people even have savoury pancakes.
You might opt in for a crêpe or maybe even some American pancakes!
Yum!
8. Around 52 million eggs are used on Pancake Day!
In the UK, it is estimated that around 52 million eggs are used on the day!
That is a lot of eggs!
9. The biggest pancake in the world was over 15 metres wide!
The biggest ever pancake was made in Manchester.
It won the Guinness World Record!
The pancake was over 15 metres wide, 2.5 centimetres thick and around 6 and a half pounds heavy!
10. You can make pancakes with only 3 ingredients!
You don’t need many ingredients to make pancakes.
All you need is flour, eggs and milk!
Get 120 grams of plain flour and mix it with 2 eggs and 300ml of milk.
There you have it, the perfect pancake mix!
