Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday)

Pancake Day, formally known as Shrove Tuesday, falls 47 days before Easter and marks the last day before the Christian season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. The 'pancake' tradition stems from the historic practice of using up rich, perishable ingredients like eggs, milk, and butter before 40 days of fasting and abstinence, with pancakes offering a simple way to use them all at once. The word 'shrove' comes from 'shrive,' meaning to seek absolution for one's sins, reflecting the day's original purpose as a final act of confession and preparation before Lent. Britain's best-known Pancake Day custom is the pancake race, in which participants run a course while flipping a pancake in a frying pan, a tradition said to date back to 1445 in the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, where a woman reportedly ran to church still carrying her pan after losing track of time cooking. Olney's race continues annually and has inspired similar events across the country, including a long-running charity race against a team from Liberal, Kansas. Beyond racing, most British households simply mark the day with a stack of thin pancakes topped with lemon juice and sugar, golden syrup, or savory fillings.