Inglés (4º), Inglés (5º),

 CARNIVAL IN THE UK

Carnival Tuesday is often characterized by masks, music and colourful floats on parade

for various festivities organized for the day. Trinkets are popular in some parts of the world,

while King Cakes symbolize the event in places such as New Orleans where Mardi Gras

is celebrated. Shrove Tuesday in the United Kingdom is commonly known as Pancake

Tuesday.

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent.

This day is one of the moveable feasts in the church calendar and is related to the date on

which Easter falls. Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date

varies from year to year and falls between 3 February and 9 March. In 2012, Pancake Day

falls on 21 February.

The forty days (not counting Sundays) before Easter is known as Lent. Lent begins the day

after Pancake Day. According to the Christian tradition, Lent commemorates the 40 days that 

Jesus spent in the wilderness so observant Christians marked this event by fasting. People

generally eat a lot and have fun the day before Lent begins. Shrove Tuesday is often referred

to as Pancake Day because fats, which were generally prohibited during Lent, had to be used

up. People would take eggs, fats and dairy products that they had left in their kitchens and

use them to make delicious pancakes. In the old days there were many foods that Christians

would not eat during Lent: such as meat and fish, fats, eggs, and milky foods. Nowadays

people don’t fast but try to give up something like chocolate, sweets or smoking.

In the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and several other countries around the world,

Pancake Day is celebrated with fun, games, and of course a lot of eating. However, the

most well known activity on this day is the Pancake Day race at Olney in Buckinghamshire,

England which has been held since 1445. According to tradition, a woman heard the shriving

bell being rang at the church but was still preparing her pancakes. The story says that as

she didn’t want to be late to church she ran there in her apron, still clutching her frying pan.

Little did she know that this would start a tradition that would be around for over 500 years!

The Olney pancake race is now world famous. Competitors have to be local housewives and

they must wear an apron and a hat or scarf. They must run a designated path with a frying

pan and end up at the church. Each woman has a frying pan containing a hot pancake and

she must toss it at least three times during the race. The first woman to complete the course

and arrive at the church, serve her pancake to the bell ringer, and be kissed by him, is the

winner. She also receives a prayer book from the vicar. The current record is 63 seconds set

in 1967.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TEXT:

1. How long does Lent last for? Why?

2. What happens during Lent?

3. What other names can you find in the text that refer to Carnival?

4. If you gave up something for Lent, what would it be?

5. What is the meaning of the word “fast” in the text?