Shrove Tuesday refers to the day before Ash Wednesday, and is the last day before the beginning of Lent. Though shrove derives from the word shrive or shriven, meaning to repent, or to have repented, Shrove Tuesday is not typically associated with repentance. Instead it is usually a day for great and gluttonous celebrations that will use up cooking ingredients to make treats many will forgo during Lent.

Shrove Tuesday is known by many different names in different cultures. In the US and in Latin American countries, Shrove Tuesday is better known as Mardi Gras. Celebrations are extreme, with many indulging in lots of fancy treats, watching carnival parades, or merely taking to the streets in an joyful party atmosphere.

Most in England, Ireland and Australia celebrate Shrove Tuesday as Pancake Day. Pancakes are enjoyed and eaten with sweet toppings. They use up luxury ingredients like eggs and flour that might be given up during Lent. Like Mardi Gras, many people who do not observe Lent join in the celebrations on Pancake Day because they are simply fun.

One Shrove Tuesday tradition in the UK is the Pancake Races. These have been held for over 500 years. Women carry thin pancakes in frying pans and must race to the finish, flipping pancakes as they go. The winner is the first to the finish line with a pancake that is not burnt.

Other countries or US states have varied traditions on Shrove Tuesday that involve eating special Shrove Tuesday foods. For example in Sweden, Shrove Tuesday is called Fat Tuesday. It’s tradition for Swedes to eat a delectable pastry, semla, which is filled with cream. The Pennsylvania Dutch and people in countries like Lithuania, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia all enjoy indulging in doughnuts on Shrove Tuesday.

The key to celebrating Shrove Tuesday in style is to indulge. It’s not a day to count calories. In the past it has been joked that many people are well prepared for fasting on Ash Wednesday because they have eaten or drunk themselves sick on Shrove Tuesday.

The date of Shrove Tuesday changes yearly. It is essentially 47 days before Easter, so since the date of Easter is different each year, Shrove Tuesday falls on a different day. It can occur as early as February and as late as early March. In Eastern Orthodox Churches, Shrove Tuesday is always celebrated on a different day than those who follow the Easter date set by the Gregorian calendar. Thus Greeks or some in former Soviet Union Countries may celebrate Shrove Tuesday about a week before most other European, Latin American and North American countries do.