February 12, 2013
Celebrating Pancake Day has been a tradition for so long at St Michael And All Angels Anglican Church in Kingaroy that no one seems to know when it first began.
But the consensus today was that it’s been “at least 50 years”… and that’s a lot of frying and flipping and fundraising.
The Anglican Ladies Guild organises the annual morning tea as a fundraiser and the church hall is always packed out.
As well as live entertainment, raffles and a stall, there is also a competitive theme every year.
In recent years it’s been the prettiest teapot, cup and saucer, tea towel or even salt and pepper shakers.
This year, it was “scarf” and an array of scarves in all shapes, sizes and colours were displayed along the wall for visitors to vote on.
* * *
Pancake Day is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of the Christian season of Lent.
Lent is traditionally a time of penance before Easter so throughout history various cultures have developed different ways of marking this last day of celebration before the time of fasting.
Practically, the celebration was also a way to use up foodstuffs that were once forbidden during the so-called “black fast”, including eggs, butter and milk (which, of course, make pancakes!)
Other common terms for modern celebrations also date back to Shrove Tuesday, including “mardi gras” (ie “Fat Tuesday”) and “carnival” (ie removal of meat).
|
|
|
