St. Matthew’s hosts pancake dinner

By STEVE CHRISTENSEN
Sun Advocate Contributor

    For more than 40 years Ascension St. Matthew’s has been helping people celebrate and remember Shrove Tuesday.
    Shrove Tuesday (also known in Commonwealth countries and Ireland as Pancake Tuesday, or just Pancake Day, is the day in February or March immediately preceding Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. The tradition of consuming pancakes is carried on at the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper at Ascension St. Matthew’s Church. Hundreds of people turned out for the event.
    Shrove Tuesday is the Celtic version of Mari Gras, which in some countries is a carnival day. It is also known as the last day of “fat eating” or “gorging” before the fasting period of Lent.
    From Wikipedia: “The word ‘shrove’ is a form of the English word ‘shrive’ which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of confession or doing penance. Thus Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the custom for Christians to be ‘shriven’ before the start of Lent.”