Get ready to showcase your flipping skills, because Pancake Day 2023 is upon us.
The day, known to Christians as Shrove Tuesday, takes place every year but falls on different dates, depending on the date of Easter.
It’s certainly one to look forward to, though, whether you like lashing pancakes in lemon and sugar, maple syrup and bacon, or topping with bananas and other fruit.
There are plenty of pancake recipes to try, from gluten-free pancakes to vegan options and alternative takes from Japan and Vietnam. There are even some for your cat.
So, when does Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday fall this year? And why do we celebrate it, exactly?
Here’s all you need to know.
When is Pancake Day 2023?
This year, Pancake Day takes place on Tuesday, February 21.
The day always falls on the seventh week before Easter, and the day before Ash Wednesday – beginning the period known as Lent.
It also always falls on a Tuesday – and in 2024 it will take place on Tuesday, February 13.
In 2025, Pancake Day will fall at the start of March on Tuesday, March 4, before returning to mid February (February 17) in 2026.
Why do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?
Shrove is the past tense of the word shrive, which means to present oneself to a priest for confession, penance, and absolution.
The day, being the day before the Lent fast begins, is for people to gain penance from God before they begin fasting.
Shrove Tuesday is also a chance for people to enjoy rich and fatty foods as a last celebration before fasting begins.
Pancakes are traditionally eaten because they were a way to use up the rich foods people have – such as eggs and milk – before they went bad during the long fast.
According to religious texts, the ingredients are also said to represent the four pillars of the Christian faith.
Eggs represent creation, flour as the mainstay of the human diet, salt for wholesomeness, and milk represents purity.
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