It is Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday.
Before celebrating, you might be wondering what is the meaning behind it, and why are so many people eating pancakes on this day?
From my understanding, Shrove Tuesday is a Christian celebration that marks the start of Lent, a period of forty days that sees Christians practising abstinence by giving up on things that are unnecessary. So, why do people eat pancakes?
According to the Christian tradition, the forty days before Easter Sunday are known as Lent, therefore Christians mark the time that Jesus spent fasting in the desert which is forty days by fasting and praying, and abstaining from luxury foods, such as meat, eggs, fish, fat, and milk.
Shrove Tuesday is a Christian tradition that marks the start of Lent but everyone can enjoy Pancake Day. Picture: Supplied
The Mirror reports that meat "would be eaten on Collop Monday (Collop was a thin slice of meat like bacon), but Tuesday became known as Shrove Tuesday, and this was when the eggs, butter, and fat was used to ensure it was all gone for Lenten season, and the easiest way to get rid of it was to make pancakes or a fritter."
The tradition of celebrating Shrove Tuesday and eating pancakes began because people wanted to use up the tempting food that they were giving up for Lent, and it is also thought that Pancake Day may also come from a pagan holiday where the round pancake was eaten to symbolise the sun and was a way of celebrating the Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Now, go ahead and enjoy those pancakes.