Shrove Tuesday is traditionally the last day of rich food before the reflective, prayerful season of Lent - the remembrance of the death and resurrection of our Saviour and the celebration on Easter Sunday.
While most Christians celebrate this important time with prayer and devotional time, I think only the more orthodox do the abstinence from rich foods and the daily church services, and stations of the cross etc. I think there is merit in having a season of withdrawal from the excess and where purposeful reflection and thanksgiving occurs... it just makes sense that this time would be spiritually and physically rewarding. I remember going with my grandmother as a little girl, scrubbing my face while it was still dark and arriving to join a small devout group in the quiet, large, beautifully stain-glassed, almost cavernous church for an early morning Lent service.
My mother always remembers when Ash Wednesday is and therefore when Shrove Tuesday is, when pancakes and the like are made. She always makes Malasadas which are the Portuguese tradition on this day. I always need to Google when the season begins but she (without the aid of a computer) always reminds me anyway. So we, as usual, ate too many of these beauties last night...
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