Canfield church serves up Shrove Tuesday merriment

The customary feast precedes the solemn season of Lent.

Vindicator Staff Report

CANFIELD — It’s the feast before the fast.

It’s the last chance to party for 40 days.

It’s Shrove Tuesday.

And sugar, fat and eggs were the rage Tuesday during a traditional feast of pancakes at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 550 N. Broad St.

“This is a time of merriment, the last chance to celebrate before Lent begins,” said the church’s pastor, Rev. Rebecca Richie. “This is the last celebration — with food and fellowship — before Ash Wednesday [today].”

There are lots of Shrove Tuesday traditions involving feasting, and most share a theme — using ingredients such as sugar, fat and eggs — which traditionally had been eliminated from the diet during Lent, a time of fasting and prayer.

In some places, Shrove Tuesday is called Fastnacht Day.

The Rev. Ms. Richie said she is more familiar with that term. Fastnacht Day has its heritage in German-American populations, including Pennsylvania Dutch country, where fashnacht is a fried potato dough served with dark corn syrup.

Norma Thomas, chairwoman of the church’s pancake supper, said about 50 church members signed up to attend the event, but usually more partake of the free supper.

“Neighbors and friends of members often attend,” she said.

Thomas, a member of Lord of Life for 40 some years, said the pancake supper has been a tradition for the last decade.

“We serve about 200 pancakes and 180 links of sausage,” she said.

Thomas attributes the success of the event to the food and “keeping it simple.”

“It’s a simple supper, and there’s no big program,” she said. But people have fun, she added.

On a more religious note, the supper Tuesday night culminated with the burning of palms to create ashes to be used during Ash Wednesday services at noon and 7 p.m. today at the church.

“We asked members to bring in palms from the last Palm Sunday. I think it shows the liturgical cycle of the church calendar,” Ms. Richie said.

Palm Sunday recognizes Jesus Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion.

Burning the palms to make ashes for use on Ash Wednesday connects the events and leads Christians into the meditative season of Lent.