21 February 2023 is International Mother Language Day, as well as Pancake Day in the UK and Mardi Gras in many French-speaking countries. What batter* way to celebrate than for French Teaching Fellow Rachel Los to explain more about the festivals in English and French?
Pancake Day
Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday (1), falls 47 days before Easter. It is often thought to be a Christian festival, but its origins are actually pagan.
In Ancient Rome, according to the Roman lunar calendar, the Calends (2) of March marked the start of the new year, and so wild parties were held and normally forbidden behaviour was permitted. People wore disguises and ate and drank without restraint to celebrate the renewal of nature and the year ahead. These festivities are the origin of the carnival traditions celebrated in many countries around the world.
The tradition was later adapted by the Catholic Church to mark the end of the period preceding Lent, or 40 days of penance and privations leading up to Easter.
Pancake Day was the last opportunity for people to use up their reserves of eggs, butter, and winter stocks of meat, and eat everything they would be deprived of for several weeks during the meagre period of Lent.
It is interesting to note that the word ‘carnival’ comes from the Latin ‘carne levare’, or ‘remove meat’.
Meanwhile, across the Channel in France, and in other French-speaking countries, this day is known as ‘Mardi Gras’, literally ‘Fat Tuesday’, when young and old dress up and overindulge on crêpes, doughnuts or waffles...
Mardi Gras
Le 21 février de cette année, beaucoup d'entre nous fêteront le Mardi Gras, quand petits et grands se déguisent et se régalent de crêpes, de beignets ou de gaufres.
On pense souvent que le Mardi Gras est une fête chrétienne, mais en réalité, ses origines sont païennes.
Dans l’Antiquité romaine, selon le calendrier lunaire, les Calendes de mars marquaient le début de la nouvelle année, et les gens participaient à des fêtes débridées où les transgressions étaient permises, on portait des déguisements et mangeait plus que de raison, pour célébrer le renouveau de la nature et l'année à venir.
Ces festivités sont à l'origine des traditions carnavalesques dans de nombreux pays du monde.
La tradition a ensuite été adoptée par l'Église catholique et utilisée pour marquer la fin de la période précédant le Carême, c’est à dire 40 jours de pénitence et de privations avant Pâques.
Le Mardi Gras était la dernière occasion pour les gens d'épuiser leurs réserves d'œufs et de beurre et de manger tout ce dont ils seraient privés pendant plusieurs semaines pendant la période « maigre » du Carême.
Il est intéressant de noter que le mot ‘Carnaval’ vient du latin ‘carne levare’, ou ‘enlever la viande’.
Do you celebrate Pancake Day, Mardi Gras or something similar in your culture? What is this day called in the language you speak? Tell us in the comments!
Whether you celebrate with a pancake or une crêpe on 21 February, bon appétit!
*Very bad joke! For anyone unfamiliar with the word, ‘batter’ is the liquid mixture of flour, eggs, and milk, used to make pancakes. It’s very similar to the word ‘better’.
(1) Shrove is the past tense of the word shrive, which means to present oneself to a priest for confession, penance, and absolution. The day, being the day before the Lent fast begins, is for people to gain penance from God before they begin fasting.
(2) Calends means first day. The English word ‘calendar’ comes from this word.
Photo credit: RitaE on Pixabay.
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