Fat Tuesday, the way I was taught, was the Annual Pig Out Day before Lent and Teh Fasting. Eat all of your favorite things before you offer it all up for the 40 days.
We didn't have to offer it all up, just whatever was a distraction from god or living a holy life. So, if you had a kind of obsession with- say going shopping- you'd quit that and spend that time thinking about how you and god could be better homies. If your thing, like mine, is scotch, every time you go to reach for a scotch, you contemplate your relationship with god instead.
A friend of mine who is a huge whisky drinker gives up Jameson every year and drinks beer instead.
I expect Fat Tuesday has been what it's called there for a long, long time.
Never heard it called that there once. In fact, the US was the first time I heard the day named in anything other than French. [eta: no, Shrove Tuesday is familiar...never put two and two together]
Lemme go google.
That's right! Pancake Day! I forgot!
Ita (your name is capped against my will - I'm on the blackberry which is correcting me despitew myself) it's not Fat Tuesday in England. It is Shrove Tuesday, instead.
Now that the wikipedia entry has been corrected, I read the page on Fat Thursday, and the last part, about the Greek version, made me giggle and giggle:
Fat Thursday (Polish T?usty czwartek, German Fetter Donnerstag or Schmutziger Donnerstag) is a traditional Polish and German feast marking the last Thursday before Lent. Because Lent is a time of fasting, the next opportunity to feast would not be until Easter. It is similar to, but should not be confused with, the French festival of Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday"). Traditionally it is a day of gluttony and belly-worship, when people meet in their homes or cafés with their friends and relatives and eat large quantities of sweets, cakes and other meals forbidden during Lent. Among the most popular all-national dishes served on that day are p?czki or berliner, fist-sized donuts filled with rose marmalade, and faworki, French dough fingers served with lots of powdered sugar.
In Italy, Giovedì Grasso (Fat Thursday) is celebrated, too, but is not very different from Martedì Grasso (Fat Tuesday). It is also similar to the Greek custom of Tsiknopempti (loosely translatable as "Barbecue Thursday"), which involves the massive consumption of barbecued meat.
I can't explain why "Barbecue Thursday" strikes me as so funny, but there it is.
Also -- "belly worship"? Heh.
And finally, am I wrong, or does Schmutziger Donnerstag translate to "Dirty Thursday"? Heh. Dirty Thursday.
According to that foodie site's paczki thread (yes, they have their own thread), the Thursday before Ash Wednesday is called what Steph said upthread, which translates to "Fat Thursday." Today, Fat Tuesday according to other cultures, is called "Ostatki"--meaning the last day you can feast before Lent.
Collop Monday? What the hell is THAT?
We always called it Shrove Tuesday and had pancakes for dinner in my Irish American household.
I had 1/2 a bowl of oatmeal and one cup of coffee so far today. Which is already way more meal like than anything I had yesterday. Yesterday was gingerale, water, some saltines, and a little applesauce thanks to baby-transmitted (I'm pretty sure) stomach virus. woo. And nobody was around to fetch me the saltines and gingerale so I had to walk up to the Royal Farms and get it myself once I was steady enough on my feet. I've possibly never felt sorrier for myself.
I might could manage pancakes later if I can figure out where to get them. I'm not up for making them myself.
