
Originally Posted by
Bluebeard
Yes, St. Pancake's Day, a firm fixture in the Catholic Calendar. Originally French - St. Martin of Gras, patron saint of partying, he became known for his heavy make-up on his famed trip to Ireland in the 14th century, hence he is known as St. Pancake here and in other anglophonic nations. He is better known by the diminutised French name in the latinate countries, especially in South America, where they have huge festivals to celebrate his feast.
His influence in Ireland was profound: while St. Patrick banished the unlicenced snakes, St. Pancake banished sugar, flour, eggs and milk for 40 days and 40 nights. This was unpopular at first until it was discovered how he did it and that it would be perfectly acceptable for all of us to do the same.
He also is well remembered for introducing the lemon - a delicasy from the Isle de France - to Ireland too, as part compensation for the banishment of milk. A reference to this exists in Joyce's masterly work, Ulysses when Buck Mulligan, in the den of heresy that is his Sandycove Tower residence, on being offered lemon for his tea in the absence of milk, he splutters "None of your Paris fad! I want good Sandycove milk" - a literary trick to identify the trio even more as being outside the Pale of Catholic influence.
Sadly, St. Pancake's religious star has waned latterly, and the special mass ceremony on St. Pancake's Day, when the host was replaced with remarkably small pancake disappeared with the Latin mass under Vatican II. Once the fifth most important saint in the Irish Catholic Church (After Patrick, Bridget (or Biddy), the fella that went to Scotland, and Patrick again), after the downgrading of the Catholic Church, he now resides in the lowly rank of fourth most important saint in the Irish Catholic Church (After Patrick, Jacinta, and Derek Davis).
However, the ritual sacrifice of sugar, flour, eggs and milk continues in his name to this day, though like his great inspiration, Patrick, people seem to have forgotten the spiritual significance of this act, as can be seen in children's tupperware lunches the following Wednesday at schools throughout the land.
Let us take this opportunity to remember the spirit of St. Pancake, or Mar de Gras as our Spanish speaking colleagues would have it. Apply yourself wholeheartedly and whole stomachedly to his celebration - too much sugar and too much lemon will have to keep you going for the three or four days over which you will be thinking that it was a bad idea to have so many.
And remember, as Risteard said, none of that Nutella sh!te - St. Pancake would turn in his sugary grave.
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