Pancake Day: What is Shrove Tuesday and why do we celebrate with pancakes?

Pancake Day will be held on Tuesday March 4 2025, a day when people across the UK will celebrate by enjoying stacks of delicious pancakes.

But the day is originally named Shrove Tuesday, which is a Christian holy day. Here you will find out the significance of Shrove Tuesday, why we celebrate with pancakes and many more interesting facts about the holiday.

What is Shrove Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday is the original name for Pancake Day. Shrove Tuesday is a Christian holiday which takes place the day before Lent.

Shrove Tuesday is the final day of ‘Shrovetide’ a four-day period where Christians would traditionally use up ingredients of foods they are about to give up for Lent.

Lent begins on the following day which is known as Ash Wednesday. Lent is a period where Christians would give up certain foods, as well donate time, money and talents as part of ‘almsgiving’.

Join our NationalWorld Today newsletter - morning headlines in your email.

Why do we celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes?

As Shrove Tuesday serves as the final day of indulgence, by using up ingredients that you would give up for Lent, pancakes could be made and eaten.

According to legend, a woman ran to church on Shrove Tuesday as the church bell rang, all while flipping a pancake. Pancakes then became a huge tradition of Shrove Tuesday, and the church bell became known as the ‘pancake bell’.

It became a tradition that the ‘pancake bell’ would ring as a way to let households know it was time to start making pancakes. Some parishes still ring the bell to this day.

What are the old traditions of Pancake Day?

In the modern day, traditionally households will either make their own pancakes or visit a venue that serves pancakes to indulge in the delicious food.

However, old traditions included villages participating in pancake races, as well as children knocking on the doors of neighbours to be gifted with a homemade pancake.

In Ireland, the eldest unmarried girl in the family would be the one to flip the first pancake of the day. In Scotland, a charm was added to the pancake and if an unmarried person found it, it was believed that they would be married by the next year.

Why does the date of Pancake Day change each year?

The date of Pancake Day falls 47 days ahead of Easter Sunday each year. As the date of Easter Sunday changes each year depending on the moon cycle, this means that the date of Pancake Day changes too. Having said that, Pancake Day usually takes place in February. For 2025, it will be held in the beginning of March.

How do you celebrate Pancake Day? Let us know in the comment section below 👇