Pancake Day 2013

Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day or Fastnacht Day, is the same day, the name depends upon where one lives. Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent. Shrove is the past tense for shrive, when one asks absolution for ones sins with confession and penance. Housewives use the last of the butter and sugar on this day to prepare for the fast that takes place over the Lenten season. The day is celebrated around the world with the English and Irish eating pancakes. In the German Pennsylvania Dutch Community they eat a yeast raised donut filled with jelly called a Fastnacht.The Polish celebrate with paczki and in Sweden it is semia, a sweet bun filled with whipped cream. In the United States many churches and communities celebrate with pancake suppers both for fellowship and as a fund raiser. Liberal Kansas takes Pancake Day to a whole different level with a three day celebration of the pancake culminating with an International Pancake Day Race with runners in Olney, England.The Pancake Race began in Olney, England in 1445. The people in Liberal, thought it sounded like fun and in 1950 the two towns began flipping pancakes while running through the street for the first International Pancake Day Race. Celebrate Pancake Day with family and friends. Pancakes can be simple and inexpensive or fancy and exotic. For kids make the pancakes in fancy shapes by pouring the pancake batter through a funnel or plastic keptuch type squeeze bottle onto the hot griddle.

Check out my pintrest page for Pancake Day Pancakes and ideas. www.pintrest.com/jvhardin/pancakes/ Find pancake day activities for kids at www.activityvillage.co.uk/pancake_day.htm