What does the
word shrove mean, and why are pancakes served on Shrove Tuesday?
The word shrove
comes from another related word, shrive, which means to confess one’s sins and
receive absolution or to hear
confession of sins and give absolution. Dating
back at least to the Middle Ages, Shrove Tuesday confession and absolution
prepared the faithful for the season of Lent, which begins the next day, on Ash
Wednesday. Martin Luther however in his Small
Catechism, exhorts the baptized to drown the sinful Adam and Eve in us by a
daily sorrow and repentance, in order that the new person may rise up, cleansed
and righteous.
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| Image Credit: 123parades.com |
The serving of
pancakes on Shrove Tuesday also most likely dates back to medieval times; some
even refer to it as Pancake Tuesday. The practice of serving and eating
pancakes is related to dietary restrictions and fasting during the Lenten
season. Diary products and fat foods were all gathered up and prepared to
consume on Shrove Tuesday to clean the household of these foods for Lent. In
some traditions, Shrove Tuesday then became the last day to indulge in worldly
carnal pleasures prior to the austerity of Lent—hence the celebration of Mardi
Gras carnivals, parades and parties.
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