When is Pancake Day 2020? And why does the date change every year

With the penniless void better known as January coming to an end thoughts naturally turn to Spring.

Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day and Easter are all on the horizon but for gluttons with a sweet tooth Pancake Day is the date in the diary we most look forward to.

This year Shrove Tuesday is on Febraury 25, 2020.

It always falls the day before Lent and 47 days before Easter.

What is Shrove Tuesday?

The name Shrove Tuesday comes from 'shrive', meaning absolution for sins by doing penance, reports  The Mirror.

The day gets its name from the tradition of Christians trying to be 'shriven' before Lent. Christians would go to Confession, where they admit their sins to a priest and ask for absolution.

A bell would be rung to call them to Confession, which was called the 'pancake bell'. It's still rung today. 

In the US it's called Mardi Gras aka 'Fat Tuesday' in French mainly because we use up the fatty foods before Lent.

Why does the date of Pancake Day change every year?

The date of Shrove Tuesday always falls between February 2 ans March 9, and depends on the date of Easter.

Easter can fall anywhere in a 35-day span based off this (March 22 - April 25), because the earliest date it can fall is when there's a notional full moon, March 21.

That means the earliest date Easter can be (a Sunday) is March 22, but the last time that happened was 1818 and the next will be 2285.

The date is based on the moon. Jesus held the Last Supper with the night of Passover and then dies the next day, Good Friday.

The beinning of Passover is determined by the vernal equinox, hence why the dates move.

Why do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?

Pancakes are now forever associated with Shrove Tuesday as it is a sort of all-in-one way of using up some fatty foods before Lent.

In the past the ideas was for families to clear out their cupboards and remove the fattening foods (normally the tempting ones) so they aren't in their house during Lent.

How to make the perfect pancake

Eggs, milk and sugar aren't traditionally eaten in fasting season, so need to be scoffed beforehand.

The actual tradition of mixing them up for pancakes is thought to come from a pagan ritual, but others say it is a Christian tradition - with each ingredient representing one of the four pillars of the faith.

Eggs for creation, flour sustenance or the staff of life, salt for wholesomeness and milk for purity.

If you're wondering why we toss pancakes it looks like it's a tradition that dates back far longer than any of us have been around.

The pancake features in cook books as far back as 1439 and the idea of tossing them is almost as old. "And every man and maide doe take their turne, And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne." (Pasquil's Palin, 1619).

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