Guest Author - Karyn Johnson

When one thinks of Shrove or Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras, if you will), one generally thinks of Carnival celebrations with costumes, elaborate masks, and parades. Shrove Tuesday is celebrated like this all over the world, with some of the most famous celebrations being in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, Cologne, Germany and Venice, Italy.

But such festivities aren't generally celebrated in England until August (Notting Hill Carnival, anyone?), so what do the British do when Shrove Tuesday rolls around each year?

As the legend goes (which may or may not be true), on a Shrove Tuesday in 1445, an Olney, Buckinghamshire housewife was preparing pancakes for the midday meal, trying to use up all the family's perishables prior to the start of the forty day Lenten fasting.

Suddenly, the church bells began to ring, calling the townspeople out to church for shriving (being forgiven of sin).

The housewife, in her haste, tore out of the house, still wearing her apron and holding the frying pan containing her pancake, as she made her way to church.

Pancake Day was born.

Ever since then, the local women still participate in pancake races every year on Shrove Tuesday. The rules are fairly simple. Participants (who must be at least 18 years of age) must wear the housewife uniform: a dress, apron, and a head covering; being married is not required. They run the route, which begins at the market square at 11:55 am, flipping a cooked pancake in a frying pan at the start and end of the race. The pancake must still be intact at the end of the race. The first woman to complete the course (which is 415 yards) arrives at St. Peter and St. Paul Church, serves her pancake to the bell ringer and gets a kiss from him, and then is declared the winner.

After the race, the entire town gathers at the church for Shrove Tuesday services. Race competitors get special seating in the church. Prizes are awarded after the service.

Pancake Day is celebrated annually throughout England with pancake eating and races, but the celebration in Olney is the most famous. Additionally, the town of Liberal, Kansas has joined in on the fun, adopting Olney's race for their Fat Tuesday celebrations.

In London, Westminster School boys celebrate Pancake Day by participating in what is known as the Pancake Grease. At 11 am on Shrove Tuesday, they are led out onto the playground, where the school cook flings a giant pancake over a 5 meter high bar. The boys scramble to grab the pancake, and whoever tears off the biggest piece gets a monetary prize from the dean.

The celebrated Pancake Day foodstuff is usually very thin (like a crepe), sprinkled with caster (superfine) sugar and fresh lemon juice or Golden syrup. Give them a try.