Quinquagesima

Quinquagesima is another name for Shrove Sunday, 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 Quinquagesima and is followed by Shrove Monday and Shrove Tuesday.

Quinquagesima is sometimes called Quinquagesima Sunday.

Quinquagesima 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, Quinquagesima can fall between February 1 and March 7.

Quinquagesima 2023 falls on February 19. In 2024, Quinquagesima will fall on February 11.

The first records of the term Quinquagesima come from the 1300s. It comes from the Latin phrase quīnquāgēsima diēs, meaning “fiftieth day.” Easter Sunday is exactly seven weeks after Quinquagesima, so Quinquagesima is the fiftieth day before it (49 days plus Easter itself).

The shrove in Shrove Sunday comes from 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. This tradition is why Shrove Tuesday is often called Pancake Day, and probably why it’s the best-known of the three days of Shrovetide.

Quinquagesima, on the other hand, is most often used in religious contexts. The Sunday before it is called Sexagesima, and the one before that is called Septuagesima.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing Quinquagesima?

• Shrove Sunday
• Shrove Monday
• Shrove Tuesday
• Shrovetide
• Sexagesima
• Septuagesima
• Pancake Day
• Mardi Gras
• Ash Wednesday
• Lent
• Easter
• fast

Quinquagesima is typically used in religious contexts. The name Shrove Sunday is more commonly known, but it’s not nearly as well-known as Shrove Tuesday, which itself is popularly known as Pancake Day.

Today is Shrove Sunday or Quinquagesima (the final Sunday before Lent and therefore about fifty days before Easter, counting Easter itself )

— Nick Groom (@Prof_Nick_Groom) March 2, 2014

Tomorrow is Quinquagesima or Sunday before Lent; services at 8 and 10 am. That means Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day on 12 Feb.

— St George (Hanworth) (@SGeorgeHanworth) February 9, 2013

If I didn't notice that Sunday was Quinquagesima am I still allowed to have pancakes today?

— Nigel Smith (@Nigels_Myth) February 12, 2013

True or False?

Quinquagesima always falls on the same date.