The ***OFFICIAL*** Weekend Singles'Thread-Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day(February 16th - 18th, 2007)

http://www.recipezaar.com/172501 ^ | 16th February 2007 | Snugs

[snugs]

Shrove Tuesday is the term used in United Kingdom,, Ireland, and Australia to refer to the day after Collop Monday and before Ash Wednesday (the liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday). In these countries, this day is also known as Pancake Day, because it is customary to eat pancakes on this day.

The reason that pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent is that it was the start of the traditional 40 days of Lent liturgical fasting, during which only the plainest foodstuffs were eaten. Therefore, rich ingredients such as eggs, milk, sugar and flour are disposed of immediately prior to the commencement of the fast. Pancakes were therefore the perfect way of using up these perishable goods, besides providing a minor celebratory feast prior to the fast itself . Though the Church of England celebrates Lent and often has lent services etc actual 40 days of fasting is not usually practised nowadays.

The word shrove is a past tense of the English verb "shrive," which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by confessing and doing penance. Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the shriving (confession) that Anglo-Saxon Christians were expected to receive immediately before Lent.

Shrove Tuesday is the last day of "shrovetide," which is the English equivalent to the Carnival tradition that developed separately out of the countries of Latin Europe. In countries of the Carnival tradition, the day before Ash Wednesday is known either as the "Tuesday of Carnival" (in Spanish-speaking countries, "Martes de Carnaval," in Portuguese-speaking countries, "Terça-feira de Carnaval" or "Terça feita gorda") or "Fat Tuesday" (in French-speaking countries, "Mardi Gras," in Italian-speaking countries, "Martedì Grasso").

[Theresawithanh]

Ooooh, those look scrumptious!

[rzeznikj at stout]

Er, yes...

[Theresawithanh]

Er, good!

[rzeznikj at stout]

Er, you'll have to ask her on that one...

[ilovew]

Ask me what? I'm not saying anything lol...

[rzeznikj at stout]

...about your Valentine's Day ;)

[Theresawithanh]

Er, I did ask - I asked everybody. (Hey, I'm liking this, starting every sentence with Er...)

[ilovew]

Lol! You're funny. :) My answer is: yes, I survived....

[rzeznikj at stout]

Yes, martin, I finally got a bird that looks similar...

[WFTR]

I went to the Addis, Louisiana Mardi Gras parade last week. I took this picture to contribute to the series.

[ilovew]

Awww!!! I want the puppy...

[WFTR]

The puppy is cute, but so is the pony.

[ilovew]

The pony is cute. But I can't keep a pony. :)

[WFTR]

Here's another of the puppy.

[WFTR]

When most people think of Mardis Gras parades, they think of the craziness that happens in New Orleans on Fat Tuesday. They think of women flashing for beads and people walking around drunk. However, most Mardi Gras parades and celebrations outside the city are just fun little parades. People like to act silly. Every few years, the weather will be warm and a couple of teen-aged girls will walk around in skimpy swimwear or lingerie, but for the most part, they are family parades. (I've never been to a parade that was warm enough for any kind of nudity. Last Sunday was the warmest one I've seen, and most of us still wore long-sleeved shirts and blue jeans.)

I have a friend who lives on the parade route in Addis, Louisina. Like much of the area about an hour from New Orleans, Addis is growing by leaps and bounds right now, but traditionally, Addis has been a nice, small town. My friend has been inviting me to the parades for a few years, and I've had a good time. The atmosphere isn't too wild, and the crowds aren't too bad. Last Sunday, the weather was beautiful, and I spent an hour or so before the parade looking at birds in her yard.

I took quite a few pictures, and I'll post some of them as I get them loaded.

Bill

[rzeznikj at stout]

lucky you...

still in the deep freeze up here...8^)

[WFTR]

The parade always starts with the police and fire vehicles.

[WFTR]

I really like the fire engines.

[Kate of Spice Island]

Things are good.

I had lasik and hubby and I went to the movies. It was awesome to watch without glasses.

[rzeznikj at stout]

howdy...