A time for pancakes and ashes

Shrove Tuesday is this coming week. It is also known as Pancake Tuesday or 'Fat Tuesday.' The expression ‘shrove’ or ‘'shrive’ means ‘to confess’ and this was a day celebrated in the Middle Ages as a period to confess sins and receive redemption before the beginning of Lent.

Traditionally it was a day which offered a final blowout before the beginning of the fasting period, when it came to foodstuffs. People could have a bit of a feast if stocks allowed and, because eggs were off limits during Lent, the feast traditionally involved pancakes. For the faithful, Lent meant abstaining from eggs and all dairy products, so all of these had to be used up before Ash Wednesday.

One Irish custom on Shrove Tuesday was that any holly left over from Christmas should be saved for the fire to make the pancakes. Eating meat was banned for Lent, so animals were slaughtered for a final Shrove Tuesday feast. More prosperous farmers ensured that any neighbours who didn’t have meat would get a portion. Tradition was that Roman Catholics did not get married during fasting days, Lent or Advent, so the period leading up to Shrovetide was a time of weddings.

LENT

Ash Wednesday is next Wednesday, February 14th, the first day of Lent. This is a day which is also steeped in tradition. On Ash Wednesday, Catholics attend Mass to be marked on the forehead by ashes by the priest. People created their own ash by burning the palm from the previous year’s Palm Sunday and bringing it to church for a blessing on Ash Wednesday. These could then be mixed with oil or lard to be used as a type of rub believed curative for ailments throughout the year.

Since Lent was supposed to be spent in penitential prayer, all socialising came to a halt. In fact, no merry-making of any kind was allowed or tolerated. That meant no music, dancing, card games or even visiting with the neighbours. In many homes, the musical instruments were stored away and the deck of cards was burned. A new deck would not be purchased and brought into the house until Lent was over.

Many people also gave up smoking as well as alcohol for the duration. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the rigid austerities of the Lenten fast had been greatly relaxed so that the majority of Irish people observed the black fast;- one meal and just water to drink only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There was also a welcome break from the long, sombre days to look forward to – the feast of St. Patrick on March 17th.

Given the fact that Lent was such a long period of penitence and fasting, Easter became one of the most eagerly anticipated and enjoyed feast days in the calendar. Occurring at a time of better weather, it was a time for outdoor excursions, wearing new clothes and enjoying foods and activities previously denied. Easter Sunday is March 31st this year.

(With thanks to Killavullen correspondent)