Lent is a time for giving things up. Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to use up the foods that are not allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

Pancake Day is really called Shrove Tuesday. It is the last day before Lent. In France they call it Mardi Gras which means Fat Tuesday! Lent is the season leading up to Easter.

The name Shrove comes from the old word “shrive” which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday in the middle ages, people confessed their sins so that they could be forgiven before Lent.