Pancakes Galore on Shrove Tuesday

"Laissez les bons temps rouler!" is a Cajun expression meaning "Let the good times roll!" It strongly conveys the "joie de vivre" ("joy of living") attitude that pervades south Louisiana. It is mostly associated with New Orleans. On Shrove Tuesday, February 24, 2009, it was 'Methodist' for food, fellowship and fun.

Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the ritual of shriving, when the faithful confessed their sins to the local priest and received forgiveness before the Lenten season began. As far back as 1000 A.D., "to shrive" meant to hear confessions. Historically, Shrove Tuesday marked the beginning of the 40-day Lenten fasting period when the faithful were forbidden by the church to consume meat, eggs, butter or milk. Rather than waste these foods, families used them no later than Shrove Tuesday, frequently in the form of pancakes!

Today, the pancake tradition lives on throughout the UK, Western Europe, Canada, Australia and the USA. For the past four years, Maple Grove UMC has celebrated the tradition as part of a fundraiser for women and children in need. Held in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, our first Shrove Tuesday was celebrated to honor New Orleans with music and decorations, where Shrove Tuesday is quite famously known as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).

Although this celebration is a fairly new tradition to Maple Grove UMC, our members have embraced it. The event has grown each year. This year, with the help of gorgeous posters designed by Dawn Nauman and publicity generated by Miriam Bowers Abbott, was the biggest yet with approximately 110-120 attendees enjoying pancakes to the strains of Dr. John, Buckwheat Zydeco and other New Orleans musicians of note. More than $450 dollars was netted for women and children in need. (Final food expenses have not yet been figured. Advertising and decorations were donated by UMW members.)

For more information on the United Methodist Women (UMW) or to volunteer to work next year's event, contact Norma Mills at 614-262-8145.