Around the globe people wholeheartedly participate in
the celebration of Shrove Tuesday. However each and every country has its
own way of celebration.
In countries like United Kingdom, Ireland,
Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada, Shrove Tuesday is called Pancake Day
or Pancake Tuesday. Pancake is served with sprinkling of caster sugar (0.35
mm) or granulated sugar. A dash of fresh lemon juice or syrup further adds taste
to the pancakes. Nowadays sweet and savory toppings are also widely used by
the people.
Like Americans, the French people also
have their unique way of celebration. Usually held on February 2 each year,
this festival is associated with preparation of pancakes (crêpes). Some
people also referred it as Chandeleur which signifies the celebration of light.
The name is derived from the word "chandelle" which also gave the
English word "candle". The festival is known as Candlemas in English..
Because of the solar symbolism of their shape and color it is believed that
pancakes are associated with this celebration. Traditional food for Mardi Gras
are sweet fried dumplings, cenci, usually served in the shape of a loose knot.
In New Orleans king cake is the name of their traditional food.
In Australia, celebration of Shrove Tuesday
has reached to a great height. Uniting Care Australia, the social services arm
of the Uniting Church in Australia, has widely advertised Pancake Day as an
event of national importance for the community that raised consciousness for
the difficulty of hapless people by raising money for UnitingCare's work.
The Rehab UK Parliamentary Pancake Race
also is integrated with the festivity of Shrove Tuesday. In the race, teams
were formed from the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Fourth Estate
who used to fight for the title of Parliamentary Pancake Race Champions. This
race is played in a true spirit with the purpose of creating awareness about
the work of charity of brain injury namely Rehab UK, and also about the requirements
of people with sustained brain damage.
In earlier days Shrove Tuesday was celebrated
slightly in a different manner. It was a three-day long celebration that had
its beginning on Sunday and culminated in large feasts on Tuesday night. However
since the beginning of 20th century, however, the celebration was restricted
to Tuesday. In Shrove Tuesday celebration ‘Carnival’ became part
and parcel of its celebration. The word "carnival" is derived from
the Latin carnem levare, which means “to take away the flesh". However,
in the Shrove Tuesday celebration of New Orleans and Rio de Janiero, public
revelry and partying have become the tradition. It was due of the extravaganza
associated with Shrove Tuesday that the Church has put restriction on its observance
to a single day.
