February 9, 2016
A spruced-up Heritage House in Yarraman hosted its traditional Pancake Day morning tea on Tuesday.
Guests gathered upstairs to enjoy hand-made pancakes sprinkled with lemon juice.
Volunteer Betty Miller was kept busy in the kitchen cooking up the treats, but she admitted she wouldn’t be trying to flip them.
Heritage House recently had a facelift with the front of the wooden building getting a fresh coat of paint.
The Yarraman Historical Society has now begun collecting donations to get the rest of the building finished.
* * *
In western traditions, Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of the Christian season of Lent.
Lent has always been a traditional time of penance lasting approximately 40 days in the lead-up to Easter.
Throughout history various cultures developed different ways of marking this last day of celebration before a time of fasting.
Practically, Shrove Tuesday was also a way to use up foodstuffs that were once forbidden during the “black fast”, including eggs, butter and milk (which, of course, make pancakes!)
During the traditional black fast, only one meal a day was allowed and meat and alcohol were forbidden – another reason why Shrove Tuesday sometimes developed into a day of rowdy celebration known as “mardi gras” (ie “fat Tuesday”) and “carnival” (ie “farewell meat”).
 |
 |
