Why Pancakes on Tuesday?

Pancake Tuesday is variously known as, of course Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday or, in French, Mardi Gras. Yes Mardi Gras is a celebration of Pancake Tuesday.

Pancake Tuesday precedes Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. It’s a day to use up rich foods like eggs, milk, and sugar before the fasting period of Lent begins.

And why would they need to use up these ingredients?

Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is the day Christians traditionally begin their walk with Christ to the Cross. It marks the beginning of 6 weeks of remembrance of the sacrifice of love that Jesus made for each and every one of us. In some Christian traditions, during this period, people give up such foods in remembrance of the suffering that was to come for Jesus. Were these foods not used up, they would go to waste and need to be thrown out.

Christian practices vary across denominations (groups), but the season of Lent is broadly observed across the Christian tradition, even where formal rituals differ. It’s a time to remember the suffering of Jesus, but it’s also a time to quietly contemplate the good news that is to follow … and that good news is, as the Bible says, “for all people”.