Mix a pancake,
A famous pancake rhyme
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake,
Catch it if you can.
As it is Pancake day, I thought I’d share a few ideas for lent and also some of the history. My son has decided we are having pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner today! Pancake day, also referred to as Shrove Tuesday is a traditional feast that uses us all the ingredients in the house before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. This liturgical time period is representative of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for his ministry. It is actually 6 1/2 weeks 47 days in total as apparently Sunday’s don’t count! As a child I used to laugh about that as used to give up something like chocolate for lent but try and break the fast on a Sunday saying it was excluded….I think I was missing the point slightly!
Pancake Ingredients:
- 100g plain flour
- 1 egg
- 300ml milk
- Pinch of salt
I never knew this before but according to history books, the ingredients for pancakes can be seen to symbolise four points of significance at this time of year and this is maybe a time to reflect on these things:
- Eggs – Creation
- Flour – The staff of life
- Salt – Wholesomeness
- Milk- Purity
There is also lots of history around pancake racing and the pancake bell that chimes out for people to come and confess and be ‘shriven’, meaning absolved of their sins. Pancake racing does look fun and something that I’m sure will return when COVID restrictions are lifted.
For a little Eco lent challenge this year, perhaps we can think about this idea of fasting. It could to do something like see if you you can find alternatives non-recyclable cling film or plan to eat a vegetarian or vegan meal once a week and see how it goes? It might even be something you want to continue with afterwards and it is about adopting some new habits that are helping the environment and doing our bit to reduce waste.
It could be also to avoid buying new where you can. We have so many craft supplies in our house that we might say that until Easter we have to challenge ourselves to ‘use what we have’ and get creative with that. It also means that on Easter Sunday we can reflect on it and celebrate! What will your little eco lent challenge be?
Little Eco Gifts 