Shrove Tuesday also known as Pancake Day

Pancakes with lemon and sugar

It is Pancake Day today, as a child my mum always made pancakes on shrove Tuesday, not that we where at all religious but I think it came from our British heritage .  I remember drizzling mine with fresh lemon juice and sprinkling with white sugar.

Shrove Tuesday is before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of 40 day Lent which goes to Easter Sunday.  Lent is a ritual fasting for Catholics, Protestants, and Christian religions where they reframe from eating luxury foods such as meat, dairy, eggs and sugar plus reframe from having luxury items.
Pancakes where traditionally made on Shrove Tuesday because pancakes include the many items that would be given up for Lent such as sugar, eggs, and milk.

 Pancake day is generally linked to the countries of Ireland, U.K, New Zealand, Australia, Philippines and Germany.  Other countries such as Lithuania, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Portugal and many others have there own tradition for this special day.

In Portuguese, Spanish and Italian cultures the day that precedes Ash Wednesday is Carnival, this word is derived from the word "Carne Levar" meaning to take away meat.  In this celebration of the start of Lent street processions, music, fancy dress and street parties occur, one of the most famous is the Brazilian Carnival.  In Venice it is the Venetian Masquerade.

Rio Carnival Link http://www.rio-carnival.net/

Pancake day changes each year due to it being linked to Easter

21st February 2012
12th February 2013
4th March 2014