Today is Mardi Gras (="Fat Tuesday" in French) or Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday. "Shrove" comes from the olde English "shrive" meaning confess. Strictly speaking people were to suffer by giving up fat, flour and eggs for 40 days, symbolizing Christ's time in the wilderness. Making pancakes was just the easiest way to use up those 3 ingredients! In my home, mom made great pancakes a couple of times a week so I never attached any significance to having them on Fat Tuesday. These days pancakes bring back memories of a loving mother and a kind-hearted aunt. So, tucked away in our supplies from home was one portion of pancake mix, which we're "using up" today.
The other custom is to give up or abstain from something you really enjoy, for 40 days. What would you give up??
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