How many days are there between Shrove Tuesday and Easter?
SHROVE Tuesday does not just mean pancakes for everyone, it also marks the start of Lent.
The lead up to Easter begins with many of us choosing to ditch chocolate or alcohol but how long for?
How many days are there between Shrove Tuesday and Easter?
There are 47 days between the two holidays, which is separated by Lent.
This is where Christians remember the events that led up to and played a part in the death of Jesus Christ.
Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, which Christians remember by fasting or giving up certain things.
For modern fasters, this equates to 40 days plus seven Sundays.
Traditionally, Christians will sacrifice meat, fish, eggs and fats until Easter Sunday.
Casual observers of Lent will give up things like chocolate and sweets for the month before Easter.
What is Shrove Tuesday?
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent in Christianity, and is when fatty foods can be finished up before the period of fasting.
Lent starts the day after and is called Ash Wednesday.
The date of the event varies each year because it is always determined by Easter, which moves each year.
However Shrove Tuesday always falls between February 3 and March 9.
People used the day, which was originally called Shriven Tuesday, to go to confession and repent for their sins just before Lent began.
As time progressed, the name of the day evolved into Shrove Tuesday, this was where people would use up any remaining fattening ingredients before Lent (usually eggs and milk mixed with flour), so they would be ready to fast the next day.
This tradition became known as Pancake Day and is celebrated by everyone, not just Christians.
In 2022 Shrove Tuesday falls on March 1.
More on Food
When is Easter?
The date for Easter varies from year to year, but will always fall in between March 22 and April 25.
In 2022, Easter Sunday will be April 17.
This is decided by a complex set of calculations based on observations of the moon.
Easter celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus, which the Bible says happened around the Jewish festival Passover.
Based on this, the holy holiday is always calculated from the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox in March.