Manx For The Memories!

Yesterday was 'Pancake day'............... in England they call it Shrove Tuesday, in France they call it Mardi Gras, which means Grease or Fat Tuesday and in Iceland the day is known as "Sprengidagur" or Bursting day.

I found something about Pancake Day in the Isle of Man; a traditional Manx song apparently sung by children years ago.....

'We'll have pan puddin for dinner, and there's nothin I lek better till puddin-in-the-pan
Half a poun' o' bacon fried upon the pan
Nobody in to ate it but me and my young man.
On pancake day, Tuesday and fry-day come in the one
Pancakes and flitters is the way of cantailers
I owe you three farthings, I'll pay you to-morrow
Here comes a candle to light you to bed
Here comes a hatchet to cut off your head.'

Historically sweet, and yet horrifically violent at the same time. Go figure.

I also found this little nibble from English history;

'On the same day 'Shrove Tuesday' at 11 am at Westminster School in London, a verger from the Abbey leads a procession of eager boys into the playground of the school for the Annual Pancake Grease.

The school cook, who must be something of an athlete to manage it, tosses a huge pancake over a five metre high bar and the boys frantically scramble for a piece. The scholar who emerges from the scrum with the largest piece receives a bonus from the Dean. The cook also gets a reward.'

Yes, I also found that story wrong in many ways.