Pancakes to celebrate Shrove Tuesday

Mardi Gras (also known by the more solemn name of Shrove Tuesday) is Feb. 12 this year, followed by Ash Wednesday on Feb. 13. These two dates signal the start of the season of Lent.According to the website www.sharefaith.com, “The name Shrove Tuesday is derived from the word ‘shrive,’ which means to confess and receive absolution. The name denotes a period of cleansing …”For many Christians, especially historically, Lent was a time of fasting. To prepare for it, the larders were emptied of perishable foods such as eggs, butter and milk. In England, it became a tradition to eat pancakes on the last day before the fast began, because they used up so many of those low-shelflife foods. Here in the Northwest Corner, Shrove Tuesday is observed with pancakes, sausages and the playing of board games at Trinity Church in Lime Rock. The Rev. Heidi Truax explained why some churches, such as Trinity, and some Christians will observe Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent while others might not. “After the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century in Europe,” she said, “most non-Roman Catholic Christians did not want to celebrate the feasts of the Roman Church, which they considered to be unbiblical. So, generally, many of the Protestant denominations have steered clear of holy days such as Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and other traditions which are not literally found in scripture. Jesus did not eat pancakes nor mark the sign of the cross on his own or any other foreheads (that we know of). Jesus did, however, celebrate all the traditional Jewish holy days of his time.“The Episcopal Church, along with its mother, the Church of England, has always tried to walk the ‘via media’ or middle road, between the Protestant and Roman Catholic faith and traditions, and so has continued with many traditions that we believe to be biblically justified. “For example, throughout Hebrew scripture (the scripture that Jesus read and taught) people who are mourning or repenting sit in sackcloth and ashes. In many religious traditions it is customary to have a time of reflection and self-examination or self-denial during the year. So, we believe that God tells us, through scripture, tradition and reason, that taking time to repent, and renew is important. “Symbolically we have ashes placed on our foreheads as a symbol of that repentance. Shrove Tuesday is the day to prepare for the important season of Lent, and after 40 days, our celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord.”People find unique ways to observe Lent, though the goal is the same, Truax said: “Lent is a time of reflection and self-examination. We take time to consider all the things that individually and corporately we have done wrong in the past year. Many of us go in for an ‘annual housecleaning’ in the form of private confession to a priest or trusted advisor during this time. “It is an opportunity to simplify our lives, and focus on those things that really matter. Often times we give up things that clutter our lives in order to focus on the things that we identify as life-giving. So, we may give up chocolate or dessert, or alcohol or caffeine, but it’s also just as good to consider giving up some time-sapping activity that may prevent us from getting back to the basic things we value.”At Trinity, on Feb. 12, “we will be having pancakes and sausages, and playing board games. We will have a small bonfire in which the palms from the previous Palm Sunday will be burned to become the ashes for the next day, Ash Wednesday.”Everyone is welcome. The evening begins at 6 p.m.The UCC in Cornwall will hold its second annual Pancake Supper on the same night. Everyone in the community is invited for pancakes, sausages, applesauce and maple syrup, (with eggs for those who do not eat wheat). There will be jazz music playing and beads and all ages can make masks. It will be in the Parish House at 8 Bolton Hill Road, from 5 to 7pm. Donations will go toward a church work trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.For a more secular celebration of the flapjack, head for the nearest International House of Pancakes (there is one in Orange, Conn.), for National Pancake Day on Feb. 5. You can get a free stack of buttermilk pancakes anytime between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.; you will also be asked to make a donation, if you choose, to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital (you can also opt to donate to a local charity).