French Pancake Day
In France they don’t wait for Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) before they start flipping pancakes.
The Catholic holiday of Candlemas, on 2 February, is called la Chandeleur in France . Candlemas comes 40 days after Christmas, so while Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) moves around with the date of Easter, Candlemas always falls on 2 February. Traditionally the French celebrate la Chandeleur with pancakes. And there are traditions within traditions.
Everyone in the family has a go at tossing the pancakes, which might sound simple enough. However, traditionally in France you must hold a coin in your writing hand and the pancake pan in the other hand. The reward for a successful toss of the pancake is prosperity for the year ahead. La Chandeleur pancake tossing starts after 8pm, traditionally by candlelight of course.
In the days when France was largely an agricultural economy, people believed that if they ate pancakes at Candlemas, they would be ensured a good harvest in the upcoming year.
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