Traditionally Lent was a penitential time, and many (particularly in the Catholic church) "gave up" something for Lent. Now that might mean forgoing smoking or chocolate, but at one time it regularly involved abstention from meat, dairy, eggs, and sugar, and any food made with those substances.
Lent lasts for 40 days, so in the era before refrigeration any meat, dairy, or eggs left in the larder at the beginning of Lent wouldn't still have been edible at Easter. This must have been unacceptable to frugal housewives. Over time, people got into the habit of using up those leftover perishables on the night before the start of Lent - and making pancakes, which contain eggs, milk, and sugar, and go well with a side of bacon or sausage, was a great way to do that.
Some cultures eventually took the idea farther, throwing elaborate parties or staging parades and celebrations as if to use up Lenten-inappropriate high spirits in addition to rich foods.
According to Merriam-Webster, "Shrove" is derived from the Middle English "schrof," meaning "shriven," and "to shrive" means "to administer the sacrament of reconciliation to" or "to free from guilt." Does that mean that eating pancakes at our Shrove Tuesday Fellowship Dinner will free you from guilt? Well, no - but we do expect to have good food and a good time!
Shrove Tuesday Fellowship Dinner
Pancakes, Sausage, and Fresh Orange Juice
Music by Ed Dawson of Fletcher Music on the organ
Tuesday, February 17, 2014
5:00 pm in Swain Hall
First Presbyterian Church of Sun City
12225 N. 103rd Ave., Sun City, AZ 85351
Call 623-974-3605 to reserve your place now!
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