In our school Christian Union, we have been exploring the question, ‘What is the link between Pancakes and Chocolate?’ All of the students who I spoke with knew about Pancake Day, which was on 17th February while they were on their half term break. Many of the students had also enjoyed eating pancakes on that day. Pancake Day is quite big business. All the supermarkets promote it with various pre-cooked pancakes available, pancake mixes (including vegan) and even pancake kits that include the frying pan and lemon juice. In the weeks leading up to Pancake Day, social media is awash with pancake recipes and novel ways to eat pancakes.
This is all fabulous. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a pancake with sugar and lemon, maple syrup, Nutella, or whatever your choice of topping may be? But how many people know what Pancake Day is really about? I remember when we were kids, our Mum always used to make pancakes and we’d enjoy watching her toss them in the air before putting them on the plate and smothering them with golden syrup. I remember her also telling us that Pancake Day came about as a way of using up all the eggs, sugar and milk in the house. I didn’t question the reason why; I just accepted it and enjoyed my pancakes.
Pancake Day is correctly called Shrove Tuesday. It is the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. It turns out that Mum was right about using up the eggs, sugar and milk on Shrove Tuesday. You may have heard people saying something like, “I’m giving up chocolate for Lent” without fully understanding its significance. Traditionally, Christians would not eat eggs, milk or sugar or other rich foods during Lent as a way of identifying with Christ when he was in the wilderness for 40 days, without any food, being tempted by the devil.
We get the word ‘Shrove’ from the Anglo-Saxon “shrive” – to confess sins and receive absolution before Lent. In this 21st Century, on Ash Wednesday, many Christians go to church to receive an ash cross on their foreheads as a symbol of repentance. Lent is a solemn season of committing oneself to God. Fasting, or ‘giving something up for Lent’ is a daily reminder of this commitment.
Okay, we’re coming in to land as my friend says. Lent is a time for reflection, self-discipline, and preparing for the celebration of Easter ahead. Lent is a 40 day period of fasting / abstinence, but Sundays are feast days, so Shrove Tuesday is 47 days before Easter Sunday. Easter Saturday is the final day of Lent.
Before we talk about chocolate, just to say that Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday when many Christians receive a cross made from palm leaves. The ashes from these palm crosses will be used the following year for Ash Wednesday.
So, now to the chocolate: Easter Eggs. But why brightly coloured eggs? You may be surprised to learn that Easter Eggs were not invented by the supermarket industry to get people to spend more money (although the supermarkets have undoubtedly taken full advantage of their appeal). Eggs have been a symbol of rebirth in many cultures for millennia. Easter eggs were used by early Christians to symbolise the Easter story: they represent the empty tomb from which Jesus rose from the dead. This is why Easter eggs are hollow to this day.
Furthermore, because eggs were traditionally not eaten during Lent, Easter Sunday was the first time that they could be eaten. But why wrap them in brightly coloured foil? Early Christian missionaries dyed eggs different colours to represent different aspects of the Easter story. They used yellow to represent the resurrection, blue to represent love, and red to represent the blood of Christ. Sometimes, the missionaries would paint biblical scenes on the eggs and hide them. This is one of the earliest forms of the Easter egg hunt, which was a way of teaching the children about Easter.
So now you know the link between pancakes and chocolate! Please add a comment below and if you enjoyed this blog, tick the box to be notified next time I post a new blog.
Happy Easter, Sharon x
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