A few months after I moved to London, I was totally taken aback when a (usually very quiet) colleague started shrieking “it’s Pancake Day” at me, in the office on a random Tuesday. “Pancake what?” I replied, backing away slowly. She waved her hands to imply it was vaguely “something to do with Lent” and I gathered that as she wasn’t religious, and the date changed every year, it’d taken her by surprise. But by golly was she (and most of the UK) excited for pancakes.
I became accustomed to Pancake Day over the years in London and dutifully ate them when I was told. Then I moved to France and discovered that, not to be outdone by the English, the French have TWO pancake days.
The 2nd of February (same date every year so it’s less likely to sneak up on you) is la Chandeleur (also called Candlemas or le jour des crêpes) in France. 40 days after Christmas Day, the tradition is a mix of both Pagan and Christian traditions and in order to guarantee a good harvest (metaphorically or literally…
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