Today is Fat Tuesday- or pancake Tuesday. I bought paczki (pounchkey) at the store- it's a Polish traditional pastery made only today. It is the last day before the Christian tradition of Lent- 40 days of fasting to commemorate Jesus's time in the desert and to prepare for the Passion and Easter Sunday. Many cultures celebrate by cleaning out their cupboards of sweet treats and rich food-thus the making of pastries and celebratory feasts. And the partying like it's the end of the world. Think about how many people plan to diet and the day before they start, they pig out on all the foods they have decided never to eat again. That-in essence-is fat Tuesday.
I find it all silly fun. I mean, it's not like we'll never eat again.
To me, Lent is a deeply spiritual time when we look inside and try to make positive changes. Either by changing bad habits or adding good habits. As kids we used to give up sweets. It was a small sacrifice to remind us of the bigger sacrifice Jesus made for us. Of course, it doesn't feel small at the time. :) But it did make Easter Sunday all the more wonderful. Do you have Lenten traditions? If so, what are they?
Ah yes, I remember 'Doughnut Day' fondly from my years living in Poland. Some students brought me over a plate of yummy looking doughnuts at the end of the lesson. I took a giant bite into one... and I have to say, it didn't really agree with me. The rose jelly filling... well, not my favourite taste! But of course I feigned appreciation.
ReplyDeleteMarsha, lol - it's even more wild to bite into one and discover it's stale. It's like some cosmic joke. Thanks for stopping by.
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