PANCAKE DAY AROUND THE WORLD
There’s life beyond that floury batter slathered in Nutella that you eat every year…
We’re taking you around the world for pancakes in Poland, Denmark, Lithuania, and France. Because our love of pancakes can't be contained to one country or one day.
Denmark
The Danes used to celebrate Pancake Day by beating the shiz out of a barrel… that had a cat inside. The idea was that they’d scare the ‘evil’ cats out of town. Cos, y’know, it’s a well-known fact that evil cats sleep in barrels.
But in a move that shows there’s hope for humanity - they stopped using a live cat. These days on the last Sunday before Lent (it’s called Fastenlavn) children dress up as their fave character and hit a cardboard box (instead of a barrel) with sweets inside (instead of a cat). The winner is crowned the Cat King or Cat Queen… and probably requires anger management classes.
Oh! And they do all this whilst stuffing themselves silly with jam and whipped cream buns.
Lithuania
After all that cat bothering, it’s nice to know the Lithuanians celebrate Pancake Day (they call it Uzgavenes) with pranks and feasting.
People dress up as devils, witches, goats, and beggars to scare away winter. Worth a try. There are water fights and pancake ‘begging’ - a bit like Halloween trick or treating.
Fasting begins on Ash Wednesday so on Tuesday people eat 12 meals to prepare. Makes total sense. Apparently, if you pick the leftovers out of your teeth and tie them in a handkerchief around your neck until Easter, you’ll be able to see real witches next Pancake Day.
Canada
Canada make delicious fluffy pancakes. They drizzle maple syrup over them. And they stuff them with secret… things. Sounds ominous because it is.
Some people hide coins in their batter, which means good fortune. Somer hide buttons, which means you’ll have to work for the rest of your life. Dark. And in a very un-Canadian move, some people hide screws in theirs.
You shouldn’t have peed, Kristoff off.
Poland
Back in the day, Poland used to have an entire week dedicated to feasting. It was called Fat Week and Poles would smash through lard, bacon and vodka. These days the good times are limited to one day - Fat Thursday.
The last Thursday before Lent they eat pancakes (nalesniki) pastries (chrusciki) and jammy donuts (paczki).
On Fat Thursday bakeries and cake shops open super early in the morning to give people time to cram in all those carbs.
France
In France Shrove Tuesday is called Mardi Gras.They ALSO call it Fat Tuesday. Apparently the name comes from the ancient tradition of parading a fat ox through Paris. To remind people that they were not allowed to eat meat during Lent. Which doesn’t sound super helpful.
During Mardi Gras people disguise themselves in mahoosive masks and celebrations in Nice usually last 10 days.
New Orleans
BUT New Orleans is the OG of the Mardi Gras scene where more is more. This year the celebrations are drive-thru style. Residents are transforming their homes into extravagant floats.Flashing for beads? Still a thing.