Shrove Tuesday

A national pancake holiday? Hmm I think YES. Now I've heard of Ash Wednesday, but yesterday was the first time I'd ever heard of Shrove Tuesday. It's celebrated here in England (and probably other places too) as a holiday tradition from the Middle Ages. The way this works is that families all make lots and lots of pancakes to eat the day before lent starts, since for lent, many people eat more simply and give up sweets. I was told by a lady I volunteer with at the cathedral that we can watch pancake races on TV. And it's not like in Texas where it's an eating contest, and we stuff our faces until we throw up. Here, they run down the street with frying pans, and they have to race each other while flipping pancakes in the pans. Madness I tell you, but, boy, would I love to see that. I'd just never heard of this holiday, so in case you hadn't either, I thought I'd give you a little English religious history. Yesterday was also the 54th anniversary of the peace sign--something only true hippies know! It was also Mardi Gras. With pancakes, peace, and beads all around, I'd say that yesterday was quite an eventful day for many.

Here at the houses it's been a pretty busy school week (10 page research papers to write for core), so the fun had to be put on hold for a bit. This weekend, however, we're going to Bath to see, I bet you can guess--the Roman Baths! How'd you know? It'll just be a day trip out there, but I hope to have some cool pictures to post when I get back. Less than 10 days from now though, I'll be spending my spring break on the beaches in Spain and Portugal!! It's gonna be so much fun. I can't believe how fast this semester is flying by already.