A good excuse to eat pancakes for supper

Today is Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, the last day of Carnival, Pancake day ... whatever you call it, it's a party around the world; the last noisy, celebratory, fun day before the reverent and reflective period of Lent.

Don't know much about Mardi Gras? You can use Von Canon Library resources to learn more: 

Search "Mardi Gras" in the American History and Life database and find 75 results, including an article on the Mystick Krewe of Comus and their Chaucer-themed parade in 1914 and another that traces Mardi Gras in New Orleans  from the 1840s to post-Katrina celebrations.

Search "Mardi Gras" in OAIster and find almost 500 photographs of Mardi Gras celebrations, including the photo above, from a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade on Canal Street in the 1930s.

The Religion and Philosophy Collection database has information on Ash Wednesday, including homilies from masses and scholarly articles about Lent leading up to Easter.

And how are pancakes connected to Mardi Gras? Adherents of Lent often give up a foodstuff for this 40-day period before Easter -- eggs, dairy or meat are good examples -- so eating pancakes for supper on Mardi Gras removes the last of these ingredients from the house. If you need a good pancake recipe, check out the Academic Search Complete database -- there are 110 results for pancake recipes.

So for today, laissez les bons temps rouler! and enjoy your pancakes.

(Post by Melissa)