Tag: Shrove Tuesday

Ash Wednesday

ANNOUNCEMENTS Blogs Christianity Customs and Traditions Easter/Lent Origin People Religion The Bible THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Ash Wednesday

Following Shrove Tuesday yesterday, today is Ash Wednesday, the official first day of Lent during the Christian year and the prelude to Easter.

Lent represents the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent in the wilderness, fasting and contemplating his mission on earth.

Today is known as the ‘Day of Ashes’ because of the practice of having ash rubbed &  drawn on the forehead in the shape of a cross (representing Christ’s crucifixion), by a priest at the dedicated Ash Wednesday church service.

The priest and participants from the church congregation intone the phrase either the words:-

“Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or  the dictum “Remember that you are dust, and to dust, you shall return.”       

Anglican, Catholic, and most Protestant and Christians hold Ash Wednesday services around the world. Following the service, participants observe some sort of fasting, abstinence and spiritual contemplation for 40 Days, ending on Maundy Thursday in 2018.

The practice of using ash comes from the 11th Century and is taken from the Biblical Book of Daniel, where ashes are regarded as a sign of Penance & fasting.

The ashes are normally made by the burning of palm crosses. These palm crosses were handed out to church congregations during the previous year’s Palm Sunday service (commemorating Christ’s entry into Jerusalem to crowds waving palm leaves in celebration) and given back to the priest shortly before Ash Wednesday.

The priest will then burn the crosses and mix the ash normally with Holy Oil to sanctify and make a ‘paste’ with which to rub on the participant’s forehead.

The Roman Catholic 5-Points of Ash Wednesday.

Father Rix, a young Filipino Catholic priest had very succinctly put that putting ashes on your forehead without knowing or practice the five embodiment of Ash Wednesday was just like putting dirt on your forehead and nothing relevant about it.

What are the 5 Points?

  1. Repentance; we have to accept our sins, change and not do it again then move forward.
  2. Quaresma is the 40 days of repentance before Easter, where you give up something you enjoy as a reminder that you are in repentance.
  3. Fasting and Abstinence.
  4. Prayers and Alms-giving
  5. Ash reminds us of our mortality that we came from dust and in dust, we shall return.

Shrove Tuesday

Blogs Christianity Customs and Traditions Did you know? Festivals & Celebrations Origin

Pancake, photo by PH Morton

Today is shrove Tuesday, which has now become better known as Pancake Day.

What is Shrove Tuesday about?  Has it become just a day of cooking and tossing pancakes?

Shrove Tuesday is the last day of merriment and feasting before Lent begins in earnest.

But in truth and in its history, today is about penitence.  Shrove Tuesday got its name from the ritual of shriving, which early Christians used to do.

The act of shriving meant that Christians would confess their sins and their shortcomings and in so doing will receive absolutions.

Absolution means the person will be forgiven of his sins and released from his guilt and pain that he had caused.

This tradition is very old.

Shrove Tuesday

It was a custom and tradition of the early Christians to confess their sins a week before the start of Lent to their priest/confessor, who shall so shrive them.

Today is not only about pancake but a time to think about the wrong deeds that we have done or have continued  doing.  We must be penitent of them.

On the happier side, Shrove Tuesday is also about partying and feasting.  Time to cook and serve all the foods that may have to be given up for the sober Lent to come. Barbecue the meat and fish and make pastas so no food are wasted for the coming Lent.  Today is like a Mardi Gras – Fat Tuesday.

Pancake became the ideal food for Tuesday because it uses up all the fats, milk and eggs with the addition of flour.

Source:  BBC.co.uk

 

 

 

Pancake Race & Pancake Tossing

Did you know? Festivals & Celebrations Origin

All over the country, some activities involving pancakes are going on.

Pancake racing and pancake tossing are the two most popular ones.

Our church, All Saints in Childshill is tonight holding a pancake tossing competition. The winner will be the one to toss the most without dropping any within a certain time. This is usually a very popular church get-together

Pancake racing is running whilst holding a pan of pancake, the contestant was to continuously toss the pancake while on the run.

The history of pancake race is an interesting and a rather charming one. Apparently it all started in 1445. A woman so caught up with making pancakes lost track of time during the Shrove Tuesday. Her preoccupation with the pancakes was interrupted by the church bell ringing. Being faithful to the church the woman raced out of the house and ran all the way to the church still holding the pan of pancake and with her apron still on.

One of the most famous pancake races is held at Olney in Buckinghamshire over a 415 yard course. The rules are strict; contestants have to toss their pancake at both the start and the finish, as well as wearing an apron and a scarf. The race is followed by a church service.


Since 1950 Olney has competed with Liberal in Kansas, which holds an identical race, to see which town can produce the fastest competitor. After the 2000 race, Liberal was leading with 26 wins to Olney’s 24.

Reference: BBC.co.uk

 

Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Recipe

Food Blog & Review

Pancake Recipe

Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Recipe

Pancake Day Mix, photo by JMorton

 

For breakfast, dessert or just as a snack, crepes are endlessly versatile.

Sweet or savoury, the only restriction is your imagination.

Start with this foolproof recipe which follows below.

However, ready pancake mix are now widely available just like that photo opposite which I bought from Iceland.  It cost an amazingly £5 for everything in the photo, including the pancake pan.  Mega-steal.

 

Ingredients

  • 40g caster sugar
  • 165g plain flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 60g unsalted butter, melted
  • 50ml whole milk, warmed
  • 4 eggs
  • oil

Preparation

  1. Using a large bowl, put together the plain flour, eggs, milk, melted butter, and a pinch of salt and mix with a whisk until smooth.
  2. Set aside for 10 – 30 mins.
  3. Heat a frying pan over low to medium heat(or a pancake pan with very low side for easy tossing.)
  4. When heated up, use a paper towel to grease the pan, then ladle the pancake in.
  5. Cook pancakes for 1 min on each side until golden.
  6. Serve with lemon wedges and caster sugar, or your favourite filling.

Grandma’s Pancake

Sweets & Desserts

Recipe

 

Grandma’s Pancake

Pancake, photo by JMorton

To celebrate Pancake Day, I cooked my own version of pancakes. I like to use self-raising flour instead of plain flour, thus my pancake is softer and slightly bulkier than the standard crepe.

This recipe is very nice according to my husband.

Ingredients

  • 6 grams self raising flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 3 grams sugar
  • butter
  • vanilla

Method of Preparation

Whisk the eggs with flour and sugar.

Add the milk and vanilla.

Continue whisking until all the lumps have dissolved into a smooth mixture.

Heat a pan and drop a little knob of butter with a dash of oil so butter won’t burn. Ensure to coat the frying pan with the fat. Remove the excess oil/and butter with a kitchen towel.

Drop a ladle of the mixture into the pan. When the pancake has started to bubble, turn it around by carefully lifting it around the corners.

Butter then add your favourite toppings such as a sprinkle of lemon, or maple syrup or chocolate and banana, or even ice cream.