Shrove Tuesday
The long build-up to Easter is called Lent. The day before Lent begins is called Shrove Tuesday. “Shrove” means being forgiven for wrongdoing. It happens on a different date each year depending on when Easter is. This year Shrove Tuesday falls on 17 February 2026.
Another name for Shrove Tuesday is Pancake Day. Long ago this was a day for feasting and having a good time. People went to church to confess the things they had done wrong and would be “shriven”, or forgiven, before the start of Lent. As rich foods such as eggs were forbidden during Lent, one way of using them up was to make pancakes.
Many people make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and in some parts of the UK run in pancake races. This custom grew from a legend dating from 1445. On Shrove Tuesday one woman was still making pancakes when the church bells rang. Rather than be late, she took her frying pan and pancake with her.
One of the most famous pancake races is held in Olney, Buckinghamshire. Women wearing a skirt, apron and head covering have competed in it for hundreds of years. They must toss their pancake at the start and again at the finish to prove they have not lost it.
In France and the United States, the day is also known as Mardi Gras, which means “Fat Tuesday” in French.
