What's today?

Pancake Day of course, but just why do we eat pancakes today? Well, it's actually all about tomorrow - tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and that's the first day of Lent. Lent is traditionally a period of self-denial, but back in the Middle Ages it was far more strict than today, and among the foods forbidden during Lent were fat, eggs and milk. As there was no refrigeration back then, there was no way of preserving these ingredients for the forty days of Lent, so you used up all you'd got left today, and one easy way of doing that was to make pancakes. In some parts of the world today is called Mardi Gras, which is the French for "Fat Tuesday" - same idea. On the same theme, meat was also not to be eaten during Lent, and in other parts of the world, the run-up to Lent is called Carnival, which comes from the Latin - carne (meat) and vale (farewell). Back then you would also go to Church today and confess and get absolution for your sins so as to start Lent with a clean sheet as it were. In the vernacular of the Church, you would be "shriven", hence today is also called Shrove Tuesday. And that I think is enough!