Hi everyone, I'm Gina.
Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday to give it its proper name, is the Tuesday seven weeks
before Easter.
It is the last day before a period of abstinence, Lent, starts.
In this lesson, you're going to learn about why it is commonly known as Pancake Day and
why it is a special day in Britain.
Do you know where the name Shrove Tuesday comes from and what it means?
We’ll show you the answer at the end of this video.
The traditional meaning of Shrove Tuesday comes from it being the day before Lent begins.
It was the last chance for people to eat whatever they chose before they began to fast and was
an opportunity for them to eat whatever was left in their pantry or kitchen.
We eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday because they are easy to make and can be filled with
any topping.
British pancakes are thin batters, only a few millimetres thick, that are cooked in
a frying pan.
Brave chefs will flip their pancakes to ensure they're cooked both sides but others will
use a spatula.
Popular toppings include plain lemon and sugar, and sweeter things such as chocolate and fruit.
As well as cooking pancakes, there are many games and activities that are held in Britain.
The most popular are pancake races.
In these races, competitors run a short track, maybe only 100 metres or so, while flipping
a pancake in their frying pan.
If you drop the pancake you have to stop and pick it up!
The winner is whoever completes the race first with their pancake still intact.
There is a famous race held in Olney.
Participants must be housewives and wear an apron.
The winner is the first to complete a 375 metre course, give their pancake to the church
bell ringer and receive a kiss.
And now I'll give you the answer to the earlier quiz.
Do you know where the name Shrove Tuesday comes from and what it means?
Shrove comes from the word “shrive” and this means to confess.
In the olden days, Shrove Tuesday would be a day of confession for Christians before
Lent began.
How was this lesson?
Did you learn something interesting?
Do you eat pancakes in your country?
If so, are they the same as British pancakes?
Leave us a comment at EnglishClass101.com.
And we'll see you in the next lesson!