Georgina Wilcox

On Tuesday Feb. 9th it was Shrove Tuesday, also called Fat Tuesday (Mardis Gras in French), the day before Ash Wednesday that starts the somber 40 days and 40 nights of Lent. In the United Kingdom and some other countries Shrove Tuesday is also called Pancake Day. These countries consume pancakes, of course.

Shrove Tuesday is the last day to get fat, hence the other name.

From Wikipedia:
“Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Roman Catholics, 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.”[3]

“Being the last day of the liturgical season historically known as Shrovetide, before the penitential season of Lent, related popular practices, such as indulging in food that one sacrifices for the upcoming forty days, are associated with Shrove Tuesday celebrations, before commencing the fasting and religious obligations associated with Lent.”

There were plenty of opportunities to get fat if you attended the St George’s Anglican Church’s annual Cook Rum held on Shrove Tuesday evening.

There were food stalls from nearly 20 countries where the attendees, and the church hall was packed with hungry people, who sampled the traditional cuisine from these places.

And, yes, there were pancakes, too, courtesy of the UK stall.

Various countries representatives also entertained and it was a wonderful evening where people also participated in a quiz.

IMAGES: George Meggs.