Shrove Tuesday
Greetings…
…on Shrove Tuesday. This is the day when people traditionally used up rich foods before Lent, a season of fasting which begins tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday has become known as Pancake Day, because of the custom of making pancakes to use some of those rich foods such as eggs, milk and butter. I’m not giving up eggs or dairy this Lent, but instead I hope to abstain from meat and fish. I just hope that Morrisons doesn’t run out of aubergines and feta cheese for the next 40 days.
Shrove comes from the verb shrive, which means to absolve. Traditionally people would go to confession on this day to be absolved of their sins in preparation for Lent, itself a time of preparation for Holy Week and Easter. There are other intriguing words associated with it. In other parts of the world it is known as Mardi Gras, meaning Fat Tuesday, again for the rich foods to be eaten for the last time until Easter. Then there is Carnival. From Venice to Trinidad, this festival ends on Shrove Tuesday, again with a food-related name: Carnival is literally Meat – farewell!
I swithered about what to give up this year – after all, it feels as if we have given up so much over the past year as a world, a country, a University, as families and individuals. But it can still be good to recognise that a spiritual life often involves learning the distinction between what we want and what we need – and questioning our own comfort.
Anyway, if you are giving up something you like this Lent, I hope you enjoy a final day of satisfying your appetite!
Here’s an image for this very day, The Fight between Carnival and Lent, by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. And if this hasn’t been made into a jigsaw to while away Lockdown, perhaps it should be…
There will be two opportunities from the Chaplaincy on Ash Wednesday to have imposition of ash on your forehead – at Morning Prayers tomorrow on Teams at 8.45 am, or at a special service at 5.30 pm tomorrow (Wednesday) on Teams – here is the link: Click here to join the meeting More details from Sam tomorrow. But if you’d like to take part, you’ll need to find some ash.
Yours,
Donald.