Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Pancake Tuesday



Today is Pancake Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. There are different traditions surrounding this day - eating pancakes, dancing and drinking amid bright costumes and lights, etc. - but to sum it up neatly would be one last day of gluttony and debauchery before the beginning of the Holy season of Lent.

Lent in the Christian calendar is much like the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur) in the Jewish calendar; it is one last day of celebration, before 40 days of reflection, fasting, prayer and introspection in preparation for Holy Week, which represents the week Jesus spent in Jerusalem prior to His death (Palm Sunday - his arrival, through Good Friday - the date of his death, up to but not including Easter Sunday, which starts the new church season of Pentecost, or "The Great 50 Days").

But for today ... we have pancakes for supper. ;) Are any of you giving up anything special for the next 40 days, starting tomorrow? I *think* I've decided to give up sloth, lol, and start exercising more. Does that count? ;)

Joyeux mardi gras tout le monde!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Mmm, pancakes for dinner! :-D

Alex @ I'm the Mom said...

We had pancakes as well. Of course lol.

As for giving up something for Lent ... it wont be happeneding here. I suck at giving things up lmfao. Maybe swearing. I should give swearing up. Will that count?