Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday and Pancake Day) is the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Shrove Tuesday is determined by Easter: it is exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday and its date changes annually. Ash WednesdayLentEaster The expression "Shrove Tuesday" comes from the word shrive, meaning "confess the sins”. In fact for the Christian tradition "Shrove Tuesday" is the last day of celebrations, before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent.shriveconfess penitentialLent

Catholic and Protestant countries (except for the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand and Canada) traditionally call the day before Ash Wednesday "Fat Tuesday" or "Mardi Gras" in French. The word Mardi gras refers to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty food before the ritual fasting of the Lent season, that begins on Ash Wednesday.AustraliaNew ZealandCanadaMardi GrasLent Ash Wednesday

In Portuguese-, Spanish- and Italian- speaking countries it is known as Carnival. This derives from the words carne levare (to take away meat), that is another aspect of the Lent fast. It is often celebrated with street processions and fancy dress. The most famous of these events are the Brazilian Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and the masquerade in Venice.PortugueseCarnival Brazilian Carnivalmasquerade

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, Shrove Tuesday is also commonly known as "Pancake Day" or "Pancake Tuesday" because of the tradition of eating pancakes on the day. Pancakes are associated with the day before Lent because they were a way to finish rich food like for example eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. During the liturgical fasting people ate simpler food and didn’t eat food that could give pleasure, for example meat, dairy and eggs.United KingdomIrelandAustraliaNew ZealandCanada pancakesfasting

HOT CROSS BUN A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with raisins and marked with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday. Good Friday, before Easter Sunday, also known as Holy Friday or Easter Friday, is a Christian religious holiday that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In many historically Christian countries, buns are traditionally eaten hot or toasted during Lent, beginning with the evening of Mardi Gras (the evening before Ash Wednesday) through Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of the Crucifixion.spicedsweet bun raisinsGood FridayEaster Sundayreligious holidaycrucifixion of Jesus Christ crossCrucifixion

According to an old tradition, buns marked with a cross were eaten by Saxons in honour of the goddess Eostre (the cross was the symbolis of the four quarters of the moon). "Eostre" is probably the origin of the name "Easter".SaxonsEostre