International Pancake Day!!!

The International Pancake Day Race hasn’t always been “international”. The original pancake race has been going nearly 600 years in Olney, England and then in 1950 women in Liberal, Kansas challenged the women in Olney to an International Pancake Race that is still going on today and marks 75 years this March 4, 2025!  Learn more about this fun challenge by visiting their websites:  Here for the Kansas page and here for the Olney page.

International Pancake Day, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday all refer to the same day – the day before the beginning of Lent.

Lent is the 40 day period of fasting and prayer before Easter Sunday. Since the date of Easter changes every year so does the date for Shrove Tuesday. The “Shrove” in Shrove Tuesday confuses some folks, though. What exactly is a shrove?

It’s not a thing, but a verb. The verb shrive (shrove, shriven) comes from the Old English verb scrfan, to “decree, decree after judgment, impose a penance upon (the penitent), hear the confession of” according to the American Heritage Dictionary.

Shrove Tuesday is the day to reflect, to seek penance and get ready for Lent, and so we have the shriving service, the religious component of the holiday.

Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: In many cultures, this means no meat, dairy, or eggs.