Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) Countdown

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras or Pancake Day, is the day of feasting before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

History

Shrove Tuesday is the last day before Lent, falling the day before Ash Wednesday and therefore forty-seven days before Easter. Its name comes from 'to shrive' — to confess and be absolved — reflecting the old custom of preparing for Lent by confessing one's sins. Practically, it was also the day to use up rich foods such as eggs, butter and sugar before the fasting season, which gave rise to its most beloved traditions. Around the world the day took on strikingly different forms. In Britain and the Commonwealth it became Pancake Day, complete with pancake races. In France, New Orleans, Brazil and much of the Catholic world it grew into Mardi Gras — 'Fat Tuesday' — the exuberant climax of carnival, with parades, masks and music. Whatever its form, the day channels a spirit of feasting and celebration on the threshold of a solemn season. Many of its traditions are old enough to date. The English word 'shrovetide' is first recorded in the fifteenth century, and tradition holds that the pancake race at Olney in Buckinghamshire began in 1445, when a housewife dashed to church still carrying her frying pan. In some parishes a 'shriving bell' was rung to call people to confession before Lent, a custom still sounded today. Across the Atlantic, New Orleans saw its first organised street parade under the Mistick Krewe of Comus in 1857, setting the pattern for the city's modern Mardi Gras. In Brazil, the Portuguese entrudo brought pre-Lenten revelry to the colony, and over the twentieth century it developed into Carnaval and the great samba school parades of Rio de Janeiro.

Meaning

Shrove Tuesday holds two ideas in balance: joyful indulgence and thoughtful preparation. The feasting and festivity make the most of the last day before Lent, while the older sense of 'shriving' points to reflection and a readiness to begin the season of penance. For communities that celebrate it as carnival, the day is also a great shared release — a burst of colour, music and togetherness that marks the turning of the calendar toward spring and the Lenten journey ahead.