The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent in much of the Christian world, fall on the same day this year. Valentine’s Day is always February 14 regardless of the day and Ash Wednesday, the official start of the Lenten season, is always on a Wednesday but the date is cyclical and can vary by as much as a month.

Ash Wednesday is always immediately preceded by Shrove Tuesday. The name Shrove comes from the old middle English word ‘Shriven’ meaning to go to confession and repent for wrongs committed. Lent, always being on a Wednesday, people went to confession the day before. This became known as Shriven Tuesday and then Shrove Tuesday.

The other name for this day, Pancake Day, comes from the old English custom of using up all the fattening ingredients in the house before Lent so that people were ready to fast during Lent. The fattening ingredients that most people had in their houses in those days were eggs, butter, and milk. A very simple recipe to use up these ingredients was to combine them with some flour and make pancakes.

The custom of making pancakes still continues today, and in many U.K. towns and villages pancake races (where people race with a frying pan while tossing a pancake in it) and pancake tossing competitions are held on Shrove Tuesday.

In other countries Shrove Tuesday is known as ‘Mardi Gras.’ This means ‘Fat Tuesday’ in French and also comes from the idea of using up food before Lenten fasting.

Many countries round the world have Mardi Gras celebrations and carnivals. Some of the more notable are in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, New Orleans, Venice, Italy, and Sydney, Australia.

The Church of The Transfiguration in Sisters is celebrating Mardi Gras with a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper and has invited anybody of any faith or none to join in the festivities.

Running from 5 to 7 p.m. on February 13, the event menu consists of plain and blueberry buttermilk pancakes, sausage, a variety of syrups, homemade applesauce, orange juice, milk, coffee, and tea. Gluten-free pancakes by request.

While free, especially to the homeless or otherwise vulnerable, suggested donations from those who can afford it are $5 for adults, $3 for kids 4 to 12, $12 for a family of four. Kids under 4 eat for free.

The supper takes place at the church’s community hall located at 121 N. Brooks Camp Rd.