Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) History

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day and Mardi Gras, is a day for feasting in preparation for the sacrifice and fasting period of Lent, which begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. Celebrations continue into the night of Shrove Tuesday as people engage in eating rich and fatty foods that they must finish by midnight. Carnivals are common during the Pre-Lenten Season, known as Shrovetide. Street parties, carnivals, and parades are also common. Aside from merriment, Shrovetide also serves the purpose of analyzing one’s own self and finding wrongdoings that need to be repentant over Lent. It is also about finding one's areas of spiritual growth that need God’s blessing.

Shrove Tuesday is observed by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Methodists. Shrove Tuesday is not to be confused with National Pancake Day, a non-religious holiday held in the fall to celebrate the dish. The consumption of pancakes is a common means of celebrating and using up fat, eggs, and dairy before the fasting season begins. This holiday is celebrated 41 days before Easter every year.

Top 10 Facts for Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) in 2026

• The term Shrove Tuesday is derived from the word shrive, which refers to the act of a priest hearing a confession and granting absolution to a person before the start of the Lenten season.
• Traditionally, the ingredients used for Pancake Day contain symbolic meanings, with eggs representing creation, flour as the staff of life, salt for wholesomeness, and milk signifying purity.
• Since 1445, the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire has hosted the world-famous Olney Pancake Race, which became an international competition in 1950 when the town of Liberal, Kansas, challenged the residents to a trans-Atlantic showdown.
• One of the most famous artistic depictions of the holiday is the 1559 painting The Fight Between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, which illustrates the symbolic struggle between the indulgence of Shrovetide and the austerity of the upcoming fast.
• In the town of Ashbourne, Derbyshire, the observance is marked by the Royal Shrovetide Football match, a massive "mob football" game where hundreds of players compete to move a ball between goals located three miles apart.
• The largest pancake ever recorded was created in Rochdale, Manchester, in 1994, measuring over 49 feet in diameter and weighing approximately three tonnes.
• On Pancake Day in the United Kingdom, it is estimated that roughly 52 million eggs are consumed, which is significantly higher than the average daily consumption throughout the rest of the year.
• In the classic film Rain Man, the character Raymond Babbitt famously insists on eating pancakes every Tuesday, a habit that aligns with the weekly recurring nature of the holiday's namesake.
• The idiomatic expression short shrift has its roots in the same linguistic origin as Shrove Tuesday, originally referring to the brief time allowed for a criminal to confess their sins to a priest before execution.
• In France and other francophone regions, the celebration is known as Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, reflecting the custom of consuming rich, fatty foods like beignets and crepes before the ritual fasting begins.

In the News and Trending in the US for Shrove Tuesday

Top things to do in the US for Shrove Tuesday

• Eat pancakes! Catholics and other Christians use Shrove Tuesday to get rid of all sugar, fats and eggs in the house by making pancakes, which not only reduces waste but also temptation.
• Decide what you will sacrifice for Lent. If you are not Christian or don’t observe Lent, then consider refraining from a habit such as smoking, eating junk food or buying fast food.
• Attend a Mardi Gras festival and parade. Here are some recommendations:
  1) Mardi Gras, New Orleans
  2) St. Louis Mardi Gras, St. Louis, Missouri
  3) Pensacola Mardi Gras, Pensacola, Florida
  4) Galveston Mardi Gras, Houston, Texas
  5) Mobile Mardi Gras, Mobile, Alabama
• Try a twist on traditional maple syrup pancakes. Here are some suggestions:
  1) Mint Chocolate Chip Pancakes made with mint extract and chocolate chips. Add a few drops of green color for a burst of color.
  2) Red velvet pancakes with cream cheese frosting. Add cocoa powder and red food coloring to the pancake batter.
  3) Caramel banana pancakes made by layering pancakes with caramel and topping with sliced bananas
  4) Blueberry peach cobbler pancakes made by layering pancakes with peach jam and topping with fresh blueberries.
• Participate in a Pancake Competition. Every year since 1950, women from the county of Liberal, Kansas compete against women from Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. Dressed in aprons and holding pancakes in frying pans, women compete against one another in this great trans-Atlantic Pancake Race.