Shrove Sunday

noun

1. the Sunday before Ash Wednesday; Quinquagesima.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Shrove Sunday¹

First recorded in 1425–75, Shrove Sunday is from the late Middle English word shrofsunday. See shrove, Sunday

More About Shrove Sunday

What is Shrove Sunday?

Shrove Sunday is the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and the first of the three days of Shrovetide.

Shrovetide is the three-day period before the beginning of Lent, which is the season of fasting and penitence that precedes Easter. Shrovetide starts on Shrove Sunday is followed by Shrove Monday and Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday is the most well-known of the three days due to being the day before Ash Wednesday and because of its association with the tradition of eating pancakes on that day (it is sometimes called Pancake Day for this reason).

Shrove Sunday is sometimes called Quinquagesima or Quinquagesima Sunday.

When is Shrove Sunday?

Shrove Sunday happens 49 days (seven weeks) before Easter Sunday. (Lent is often considered a period of 40 days, but it actually consists of 40 weekdays.) Since Easter Sunday moves every year, Shrove Sunday can fall between February 1 and March 7.

Shrove Sunday 2024 will fall on February 11. In 2025, Shrove Sunday will fall on March 2.

More information and context on Shrove Sunday

The first records of the term Shrove Sunday come from the 1400s. Shrove is the past tense of the verb shrive, which means “confess one’s sins, such as to a priest” (it can also mean “to hear confession”).

Shrovetide was once a time that many Christians devoted to confessing their sins before the beginning of Lent. But Lent itself is a time of fasting and abstaining, and Shrovetide eventually became, for many, a time of indulging before the Lenten fast begins.

Traditionally, fasting for Lent has involved giving up foods like eggs and fats (such as butter). Shrove Tuesday is the last day to use up such foods so they don’t go to waste during Lent, and pancakes are one of the easiest (and most delicious) ways to use these ingredients. That’s why Shrove Tuesday is often called Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday, and probably why it’s the best-known of the three days of Shrovetide.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing Shrove Sunday?

• Quinquagesima
• Shrove Monday
• Shrove Tuesday
• Shrovetide
• Pancake Day
• Mardi Gras
• Ash Wednesday
• Lent
• Easter
• fast

How is Shrove Sunday discussed in real life?

Shrove Sunday is not nearly as well-known as Shrove Tuesday, which itself is perhaps most popularly known as Pancake Day. 

Shrove Sunday 3/3: We are having a pancake breakfast at 9 AM. This is an all-ages event. Come eat pancakes before the start of Lent!

— Music Director (@MusicDirectorSJ) February 20, 2019

It's Shrove Sunday! Stop by for a delicious shrove bun at one of the airport's cafés! https://t.co/AV4dhz0Kvl pic.twitter.com/50T4mQ2aHQ

— Helsinki Airport (@HelsinkiAirport) February 7, 2016

Excited to see Shrovetide and Lent battle it out once again through early modern music, song, speech and drama (and plenty of pancakes). It all kicks off this Shrove Sunday. https://t.co/zLCsmkdd71

— Taylor Aucoin (@AucoinTaylor) February 26, 2019

 

Try using Shrove Sunday!

True or False?

Shrove Sunday always falls on the same date.