What do you call today?

Whether you call it Fat Tuesday, Paczki Day, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, or Pancake Day, we can all agree that today is a fun cultural day full of delicious foods, and celebration.

Let us allow Wikipedia to enlighten us:

"Shrove" Tuesday? What is that?

"The word shrove is a past tense of the English verb "shrive," which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by confessing and doing penance. Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the shriving (confession) that Anglo-Saxon Christians were expected to receive immediately before Lent.
Shrove Tuesday is the term used in the English-speaking countries of the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia to refer to the day after Collop Monday and before Ash Wednesday (the liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday). In these countries, and amongst Anglicans in Canada, this day is also known as Pancake Day, because it is customary to eat pancakes on this day. In other parts of the world—for example, in historically Catholic and French-speaking parts of the United States and elsewhere—this day is called Mardi Gras, and in areas with large Polish-immigrant populations (for example, Chicago and Detroit) it is known as Paczki Day."

Why Pancake Day?

"The reason that pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent is that the 40 days of Lent form a period of liturgical fasting, during which only the plainest foodstuffs may be eaten. Therefore, rich ingredients such as eggs, milk, sugar and flour are disposed of immediately prior to the commencement of the fast. Pancakes and doughnuts were therefore an efficient way of using up these perishable goods, besides providing a minor celebratory feast prior to the fast itself."

Pennsylvania Dutch - Fastnachts

"In Pennsylvania, it is a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition to eat a type of doughnuts called Fastnachts (or Fasnachts). The Fastnacht would be made of all the sweets and other soon-to-be-forbidden items in the household and then consumed on Fat Tuesday so that one would not be tempted during the Lenten Fast. Today they are made from potato dough and fried, often coated with a sugary glaze."

Mardi Gras Cake!

"A king cake (sometimes rendered as kingcake) is a type of cake associated with Carnival traditions. It is popular in Carnival season in the area of the United States which celebrates Carnival ranging from Mobile, Alabama to East Texas, centered on New Orleans. The cakes have a small trinket (usually a small plastic baby) inside, and the person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket has various privileges and obligations.

The king cake of the New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted bread similar to that used in brioche, topped with icing or sugar, usually coloured purple, green, and gold (the traditional Carnival colors) with food colouring. Some varieties have filling inside, the most common being cream cheese followed by praline.

The "king cake" takes its name from the three kings. Catholic tradition states that their journey to Bethlehem took twelve days (the Twelve Days of Christmas), and that they arrived to honor the Christ child on Epiphany. The season for king cake extends from the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Twelfth Night and Epiphany Day), through to Mardi Gras Day. Some organizations or groups of friends may have "king cake parties" every week through the Carnival season."

How am I celebrating?

As you all know, I absolutely love to throw parties. There's nothing better. So I decided yesterday evening that I was going to throw a "day before Lent cultural explosion party" today!! Yesterday night I went with Chris (who is very German and participates in P.A. Dutch traditions) to his hometown of Leabanon and picked up a dozen homemade Fastnachts. His church sells them as a fundraiser every year, and they are delicious. Hierald picked up a King cake today. And of course, in honor of my dear friends across the ocean, I will be making an assortment of delicious pancakes as the main course. It will be a blast, I'm really excited.

I wish you all a happy day, whatever you may call it. Make sure you eat something delicious, and try to fit in a bit of celebration if you can :)

~Molly