Flipping Traditions: Exploring Pancake Day

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vmbo k
• Leerjaar 4

Flipping Traditions: Exploring Pancake Day

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will understand the history and significance of Pancake Day and its traditions.

You will have learnt some new words and meanings.

You will realise that English words have double, triple meanings, when combined. 

How many words can you link to Pancake Day?

Who made the first pancake?

The Ancient Greeks made pancakes called τηγανίτης (tēganitēs), ταγηνίτης (tagēnitēs) or ταγηνίας (tagēnias), all words deriving from τάγηνον (tagēnon), "frying pan". The earliest attested references to tagenias are in the works of the 5th-century BC

Why Pancakes?

Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday because they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar before the Lenten fast. The round shape of pancakes also symbolizes the sun and the arrival of spring.

What is Pancake Day?

Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is a traditional Christian feast day that precedes the start of Lent. It is a day of feasting and celebration before the fasting period begins. (do you have something like this the Netherlands? ) 

The word shrove is a form of the English word shrive, which means to give absolution for someone's sins by way of Confession and doing penance. Thus Shrove Tuesday was named after the custom of Christians to be "shriven" before the start of Lent.

Name the 5 things involved with pancakes

Traditional Activities

The English are quite excentric, so on Pancake Day, people often participate in pancake races, where they run while flipping pancakes in a frying pan. 

Which traditions are well-known in the Netherlands

Write down 3 new words you have learned this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.