PANCAKE DAY Shrove Tuesday 2013 Pancake Day

PANCAKE DAY

Shrove Tuesday 2013 (Pancake Day) • Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent • Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent • Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess • On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began

What is an English Pancake? • a thin, flat cake, made of batter and fried in a pan • Caster sugar is sprinkled over the top and a dash of fresh lemon juice added • The pancake is then rolled • Some people add golden syrup or jam • The world's biggest pancake was cooked in Rochdale in 1994, it was 15 metres in diameter, weighed three tonnes and had an estimated two million calories.

What happens on Pancake Day in England? • Today most people celebrate Pancake Day regardless of religion • it is traditional to eat pancakes, toss pancakes and take part in pancake races, which are held all over England • The object of the race is to get to the finishing line first whilst flipping a pancake in a frying pan a pre-decided number of times • the pancake must be intact when the finishing line is reached

The most famous pancake race at Olney • According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan. • Competitors have to be local housewives and they must wear an apron and a hat or scarf. • Each contestant has a frying pan containing a hot, cooking pancake. She must toss it three times during the race that starts at the market square at 11. 55 am. • The first woman to complete the 375 -metre course and arrive at the church, serve her pancake to the bell ringer, and be kissed by him, is the winner. She also receives a prayer book from the vicar.

Annual Pancake Greaze • Held at the famous Westminster School in London • A verger from Westminster Abbey leads a procession of boys into the playground where the school cook tosses a huge pancake over a five-metre high bar. • The boys then race to grab a portion of the pancake and the one who ends up with the largest piece receives a cash bonus from the Dean.

Skipping • In Scarborough, everyone assembles on the promenade to skip. • Long ropes are stretched across the road and there maybe be ten or more people skipping on one rope. • The origins of this customs are not known but skipping was once a magical game, associated with the sowing and sprouting of seeds, which may have been played on barrows (burial mounds) during the Middle Ages.

Football • On Shrove Tuesday the world’s oldest, largest, longest and maddest football game starts in Ashbourne, Derbyshire • The game is played over two days and involves thousands of players. • The goals are three miles apart and there are only a few rules. • The ball is a hand-painted, cork-filled ball.

Sources • http: //www. woodlands-junior. kent. sch. uk/customs/shrove. html • http: //www. google. co. uk/imghp? hl=en&tab=wi • http: //www. bbc. co. uk/derby/content/image_galleries/your_pics_shr ovetide_2009_gallery. shtml? 1