Shrove Tuesday Traditions Around the World
At Civitatis, we love a good reason to celebrate with yummy treats. Here, we’ve gathered some fun Shrove Tuesday traditions from around the world for your celebration. Historically this was a time for Anglo-Christians to confess or “shrive” their sins. Afterwards, they would enjoy their last opportunity to indulge in rich, fatty foods. This led to a variation of the pancake, crafted with the last eggs, butter, and sugar before the fast. While the tradition has evolved over the centuries, there’s something for everybody to enjoy on Shrove Tuesday!
United Kingdom
Affectionately known as “Pancake Day” in the UK, the day before Ash Wednesday is full of rich, buttery, flaky goodness. Get your frying pans and spatulas ready! People will spend the day making and eating pancakes, which is a Shrove Tuesday tradition we can get behind.
Many Christians nowadays still observe a fast or give up something during Lent. However, eating pancakes in the UK is no longer considered a religious tradition. People across the country spend the day making tasty pancakes for this holiday. As an added bonus, they often top them with sweet treats! Such as Nutella, jam, fruit, honey and lemon, and sugar.
This tradition is also carried out in the English-speaking countries of Ireland, Australia, and Canada. So you can whip up a pancake wherever you are!
Iceland
In Iceland, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated through traditions that centre around food as well. The day before Shrove Tuesday is called bollugadur, which translates to “Bun Day.” Icelandic people enjoy buns with cream and jam while children can get a stick, bolluvöndur, to ask for more treats!
Shrove Tuesday itself is called sprengidagur, which means “Bursting Day.” Here, you’re meant to indulge in salted lamb with pea soup until you’ve had your fill and feel satisfied!
Poland
Get ready to eat if you’re in Poland! Tłusty Czwartek is celebrated on the last Thursday before Lent in Poland and is also seen as the final day to eat lots of sugary food and drink alcohol before Lent begins.
You’ll definitely want to try some faworki (“angel wings”) if you’re in Poland! These tasty treats are made from crisps of pastry that have been fried and then dusted with powdered sugar. In addition, you should also eat at least one pączki if you want to ward off bad luck for a year! These scrumptious doughnuts are often filled with rose-flavoured jam, chocolate or custard and can bring you luck in the year to come!
Denmark
Another one of our favourite Shrove Tuesday traditions is in Denmark, where the Danes celebrate fastelavn. This festivity refers to the 3 days that fall before Lent, during which people used to eat lots of unhealthy food before fasting for Lent. One of these treats is fastelavnsboller, which are sweet buns with a filling of custard cream.
Children in Demark also get to swing bats at a paper cat on top of a barrel that’s filled with sweets. Eventually, the barrel will break and there’ll be sweets for everyone!
Lithuania
In Lithuania, a mock battle is staged between a character that represents winter (Lašininis) and one that represents spring (Kanapinis).
As Shrove Tuesday coincides with the beginning of spring, this period is also a time to say goodbye to winter and welcome the warmer and lighter months ahead.
During Užgavėnės, which is the night of Shrove Tuesday, an effigy called the Morė may also be burnt to symbolise the end of winter.
France
The French phrase for Shrove Tuesday is “Mardi Gras”, which literally means “Fat Tuesday”. This day also centres around eating, with lots of people in France tucking into crêpes, waffles and beignets.
Carnivals also take place in lots of French cities, with people wearing costumes and watching parades as they go down the street. The country’s biggest carnival is in Nice, where the festivities last for 2 weeks and include parades in the day and at night, as well as a flower parade, filling the city with Shrove Tuesday celebrations.
New Orleans, US
Mardi Gras is also celebrated in style in the US, especially in New Orleans in the state of Louisiana. This historic city sees 2 weeks of celebrations that come to life before and on Shrove Tuesday.
Social clubs called “krewes” organise the festivities and different floats where people toss throws into the crowd. These throws are usually strings of coloured beads or throw cups.
If you’re in New Orleans, you’ll also see lots of purple, green and gold, as these are the colours that define the Mardi Gras celebrations.
Italy
While some countries spend the day eating delicious treats before Lent begins, other countries celebrate the day with spectacular and lively carnivals.
One of the world’s most famous carnivals is the Carnival of Venice in Italy. This carnival finishes on Shrove Tuesday and sees participants wearing beautiful, meticulously-designed masks.
This fun Shrove Tuesday tradition began after the Venetian Republic defeated the Patriarch of Aquileia in 1162 and the Venetians danced in San Marco Square to celebrate. This became official during the Renaissance and grew enough to achieve world fame in the 18th century.
While the carnival and its enchanting masks were outlawed in 1797 by Francis II, the Italian government brought the tradition back in 1979.
Today, the carnival receives 3 million visitors a year and includes a contest for la maschera più bella (“the most beautiful mask”).
Brazil
Brazil is also well-known for its incredible carnivals. During the few days before Lent, vibrant and exciting carnivals take place in Brazil’s cities.
Every year, 50,000 visitors from all over the world flock to Rio de Janeiro to see the carnival and samba parades. Samba schools spend all year preparing to showcase their parade in the Sambodromo, which was built especially for this. If you’re visiting Sao Paulo, you’ll want to head to the Anhembi Sambadrome where the city’s samba schools showcase a theme of their choosing.
Spain
Here in Spain, we also love to put on a good carnival! While celebrations occur all over the country, we’ve thought of some of our favourite carnivals so you’ll know where to go.
If you’re near Cadiz in Andalusia you might like to visit the carnival here, which features lots of music, parodies and satirical songs. Another sunny spot with a great carnival is Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where the carnival and its different pageants have been declared an event of International Tourist Interest. Just down the road from Barcelona you’ll find Sitges, where a week-long carnival that’s famous for welcoming all members of the LGBTQIA+ community comes to life.
