Lenten season begins next week

The season of Lent begins Feb. 25 with Ash Wednesday. Christians around the world will spend the next 40 days observing a solemn period leading up to Easter.

Lent is traditionally a time of sacrifice and fasting that is preceded by what is called Shrove Tuesday in English-speaking places. In Latin American countries, it is often the Tuesday of Carnival. Others know it as Fat Tuesday. The French call it Mardi Gras — yes, that celebratory night we associate with New Orleans and festive activities is actually rooted in religion.

Some view Shrove Tuesday as a last hurrah of feasting. But its origins are based more sensibly in the need to purge pantries of rich ingredients such as sugar, and perishables, such as eggs and milk, that are not supposed to be eaten during Lent.

Pancakes are an efficient way to use up those ingredients and provide a filling feast.

Shrove is the past tense of “shrive,� which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins. Many Christians go to confession just before Lent.

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