Americans are once again confused by Pancake Day

Another wrote: “Just learned British people celebrate a holiday called Pancake Day.” A third voiced their bemusement when their British colleagues started wishing each other a happy Pancake Day on their morning team call. https://twitter.com/outrotearnation/status/1627768583982927889

Another was pretty envious of the British tradition, writing: “I gen think it’s so sad that Americans don’t do Pancake Day.” https://twitter.com/rebekah_gordon_/status/1627979774625710081

“British people are, like, weirdly into Pancake Day,” one wrote.

And another added: “I didn't know British people cared about Pancake Day like that.” But, Shrove Tuesday is very much celebrated in the US and other Christian countries. It always lands 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date isn’t fixed, but is usually between early February and early March. This is also the last day before Lent, the 40 day period leading up to Easter. Often, Christians will give up something for Lent, to represent the 40 days and 40 nights fast that Jesus went on. So Shrove Tuesday is traditionally a day of feasting and indulgence before this fasting period. In France, the day is known as Mardi Gras, meaning Fat Tuesday, referring to the practice of eating richer, fatty foods, and pancakes were an easy way to use up eggs and fats, so became the ideal food to feast on before Lent. And us Brits really embraced this. But, what on earth does 'shrove' mean? Well, it's derived from the word 'shrive', which means to confess your sins. https://twitter.com/OfAcaster/status/1627957510052229120 Confess your sins and eat pancakes. Happy shroving! Related links: