Celebrate Fat Tuesday in Indy with the Gumbo Cook-Off
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Tuesday is "Fat Tuesday" also known as "pancake day," so stop by your favorite Staten Island diner or lunch place and order a stack. This stack is from the Dakota Diner, Graniteville. (Staten Island Advance file photo/Anthony DePrimo)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --In 2017 "Fat Tuesday" -- which is also known as "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day" -- falls on February 28.
Christians around the world traditionally feast on pancakes, crepes, and other batter-made sweets on the day. So where does that tradition come from?
- The name comes from "Mardi Gras" which is French for "fat tuesday". on this day, christians traditionally stuff themselves with fatty foods before the abstinence of Lent kicks in.
- The day falls on the last day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, which in 2017 falls on March 1.
- Fat Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies each year but will be between February 3 and March 9.
The word "shrove" comes from the term "shrive", meaning to free yourself from sin.
Christian families were encouraged by the clergy to clear out their cupboards to remove the fattening foods from their houses before midnight.
The tradition of eating pancakes, allows families to use up all their eggs, butter, milk and flour all in one dish.
It"s believed that pancakes represent the four pillars of the Christian faith: eggs for creation, flour for sustenance, salt for wholesomeness and milk for purity.
(Tell us what you"ll be doing for Fat Tuesday. Will you be making or enjoying pancakes this day? Use the Comment section below.)
Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/02/what_is_fat_tuesday_and_why_do.html
