Happy Fat Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Big plans for Lent, y'all?

[hectorberlioz]

National Pancake Day is next week

Lent is hard. But I guess thats the point.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

National Pancake Day is next week

Lent is hard. But I guess thats the point.

Not as hard if you start with temperate habits. You party beast, you.

[Mari]

Lent? Fat Tuesday? What is going on!?
National pancake day... I like the sound of that.

[katya]

Oh my Mardi Gras already? just when I promised myself that I'd start eating healthy again yesterday no ifs ands or buts. I still do have the better part of a container of cookie dough in the fridge though- it's gotta go somewhere.

I guess I can use Lent as motivation to do better. At eating right, exercising (not that I need motivation for that- I enjoy it...), doing homework, etc.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by Mari

Lent? Fat Tuesday? What is going on!?
National pancake day... I like the sound of that.

Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday" is the last big party before the season of Lent, a 40 day period of fasting and self-denial before Easter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday
I did my crepes on the 2nd, as I was taught.

[sun-star]

I love Shrove Tuesday! Pancakes are the best food ever

[Mari]

Hmm, never heard of it. Here I was, thinking I was raised to be a good Protestant...

EDIT: I checked the Dutch version of the Wikipedia page on Lent, and apparently here it is a Catholic custom, not Protestant, perhaps that explains why I don't know it. Also, here people have half a week of carnival preceding Ash Wednesday. Perhaps that took the place of pancakes?
Thanks for the link by the way.

[Grey_Wolf]

Now we have begun to buy Fat Tuesday Buns with baking sugar sprinkled on the lid of it and whipped cream and creamy almond paste in them.

[Curubethion]

Originally Posted by Mari

Hmm, never heard of it. Here I was, thinking I was raised to be a good Protestant...

EDIT: I checked the Dutch version of the Wikipedia page on Lent, and apparently here it is a Catholic custom, not Protestant, perhaps that explains why I don't know it. Also, here people have half a week of carnival preceding Ash Wednesday. Perhaps that took the place of pancakes?
Thanks for the link by the way.

Yep, definitely a Catholic custom...

I'm working on doing some positive things, like more daily prayers, that sort of stuff, as well as cutting back.

But as a rather skinny person , I find the term "Fat Tuesday" offensive. Skinny people have rights too!!

[Mari]

Haha! Yeah, though the rights of fat people are usually more recognized.
In the wiki it said that Protestants in America and Australia also observe this custom as do Anglicans. Or I think it did... lemme check.
Anyway, this site may help you with your "stuff".

[hectorberlioz]

Sis, you were raised Catholic I assume?

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Sis, you were raised Catholic I assume?

Moi? Non. But my family specialized in feasts, movable or otherwise. Every heritage has traditions.

[hectorberlioz]

So Lent...you guys just picked it up?

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

So Lent...you guys just picked it up?

My mother was a religious educator. And culturally sensitive in a way shared by very few humans. *heart* So we were raised to honor the celebrations of people from all over. But the crepes are mostly cultural, from the French side of the family, for what the English side calls Candlemass. I got into the habit of cooking them in High school, so somehow I wind up with a bowl of batter on the 2nd, if I'm cooking at all. Lent is hardly necessary for folks who lived as austerely as my maternal family always did.

[katya]

My mom was (is) kind of like that too. We all celebrated Ramadan one year. More or less.

[Mari]

With or without the Sugarfest afterward? My classmates who observed the Ramadan always got lots of money and lots of food at the Sugarfest even if they didn't vast...
*sigh* Protestants are boring... oh wait, I am Protestant...

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Lent (and consequently Fat Tuesday) is hardly exclusive to Catholics; it would be more accurate to call it a traditional custom, as the more traditionally inclined churches (Catholic, Anglicans, etc.) will celebrate it. Such practices are becoming more widespread of late even among nondenominational and more mainstream Protestants, like Methodists, etc. The Orthodox also celebrate Great Lent, with Meatfare and Cheesefare Sundays having a role which, I understand, roughly corresponds to that of Fat Tuesday (right, Hec?) Calling it a "Catholic" custom is just too inaccurate, I'm sorry.

But unfortunately, I can't make myself pancakes! No proper cooking facilities for that accessible to students...

Hmm...I'm giving up smoking for Lent, so I guess I'd best smoke a lot today, to make up for the lack of pancakes...

[tolkienfan]

We Lutherans observe it too. (for the most part, nobody's strict or anything) I haven't decided what to give up yet... last year it was computer games.

[Tessar]

If I were a strong person, and not in school, I would give up singing for Lent. Because that would be the hardest thing EVER. O.o For reels.

Being realistic, I think I'll give up fast food... with the caveat that if my whole family eats out I'll go with them just because we almost never do family stuff any more and I wouldn't want to miss that aspect of it. But just for myself I'll give it up.