We know about Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday but each day of this week has a name..................
Collop Monday had other names in different parts of the country - Carnival Monday, Rose Monday, Hall Monday, Peasen Monday and Nickernan Night.
Nicky, nicky nan,
Give me a pancake and then I'll be gone,
But if you give me none
I'll throw a great stone
And down your door shall come.
This was the last day for eating meat and for eating up collops of bacon and meat. Any fresh meat still available would be sliced and salted to preserve it until after Lent . A Collop - a Scandinavian word, means a slice of meat.
Shrove Tuesday is the last day of Shrovetide and can fall anytime between 3rd February and 9th March. And since medieval times the last day for rich foods before Lent fasting starting the next day -and it really was fasting back then - no eggs, no fats, no meat. It was customary to make confession on this day too. But it was also a day for merrymaking and fun and feasting on the last of the eggs and butter.
Lacemakers had to stop using candles on this day, no matter the date or the weather conditions.
Ash Wednesday
The first of the 40 days of abstinence. The word Lent comes from old English lencten and Germanic langatin meaning spring or lengthening of the days. Originally only 1 meal a day was eaten during Lent. It's thought the origins of fasting might date back as far as 325CE to the Council of Nicaea.
Pancake Tuesday is a very happy day,
If we don't have a holiday we'll all run away,
Where shall we run, up High Lane,
And here comes the teacher with a great big cane.
Mix a pancake, stir a pancake, pop it in the pan,
Fry the pancake, toss the pancake -
Catch it if you can.
( children's rhymes from the past )
Lacemakers had to stop using candles on this day, no matter the date or the weather conditions.
Ash Wednesday
The first of the 40 days of abstinence. The word Lent comes from old English lencten and Germanic langatin meaning spring or lengthening of the days. Originally only 1 meal a day was eaten during Lent. It's thought the origins of fasting might date back as far as 325CE to the Council of Nicaea.
Fritter Thursday
Maybe because of the dough fritters that were often eaten in meatless Lent or perhaps using the last of the stored apples dipped in a flour and water batter?
Kissing Friday or in some places Nippy-Hug day
Once this was the day when boys had the right to kiss girls without being told off, if the kiss was refused they could nip the girls bottom!
(Information from some of my folklore books)
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And meanwhile .......how about GB at the Winter Olympics.........3 Gold Medals - Never been done before! Well done to them all.
Back Tomorrow
I love all the old Lenten words and customs. This is a great list. Can I add carnival - "goodbye meat" ! Hence the celebrations for Mardi Gras, and the carnival in Venice this week.
ReplyDeleteThat's something in none of my books!
DeleteWhat an interesting list of facts about Lent. I certainly remember singing the ‘stir a pancake’ rhyme in school both as a pupil and then with my class as a teacher. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThat's the only one of all the rhymes that I'd heard before - Listen with Mother maybe?
DeleteThank you for your concerned comment this morning, you changed my mind about something ... just in the nick of time.
ReplyDeleteOh and thanks for the reminder about Shrove Tuesday I had completely forgotten that it was 'pancake day' this week.
I'm glad I commented so you didn't vanish
DeleteAnd tomorrow is Chinese New Year - the year of the horse begins.
ReplyDeleteThat's my tomorrow post!
DeleteA friend recently posted on their blog that the the word “carnival” comes from the Latin “vale carne” which means “farewell to meat.” That was news to me, but then my Latin is pretty poor. :)
ReplyDeleteI had no idea about that either until Ang commented above
DeleteI'm guessing "...nip their bottoms" refers to pinching? In the vernacular here nip means bite, rather different.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to look out for a pancake tomorrow if not a nipper.
Ceci
Bite their bottoms would have been a bit too odd!
DeleteInteresting post with info I did not know. My husband did remind me earlier that it's pancake day tomorrow. Told his about kissing Friday and we had a laugh about that.
ReplyDeleteWell done to GB winning the good medals and very exciting watching.
I'm looking forward to mixing up some pancake mix tomorrow
DeleteStill remember taking a piece of ash with me to school on Ash Wednesday so as not to get my shoes stamped on…such a friendly bunch weren’t we!
ReplyDeleteJust looked this up and apparently it hails from Sussex, however I don’t!
DeleteNever heard of that one at all!
DeleteInteresting reading, but as long as you call me in time for pancakes, then you can call the days whatever you like!
ReplyDeleteI am amused that the Mayors of Boston (usually Catholic) invite a priest to provide ashes at City Hall; presumably for convenience but I am surprised the priest doesn't point out that we should attend a service, just a few blocks in either direction.
ReplyDeleteI have to take my palms from last year to the church as they are burnt to make the ashes for Wednesday's two Masses.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Very interesting post.
ReplyDeleteI remember the palms and Ash Wednesday only because my favorite Uncle practiced his faith very seriously. Pancake day is entirely new to me.
You always have such interesting posts.
ReplyDeleteReally miss pancake day. Sigh. I need to make some even if no one but me eats them lol