Shrove Tuesday

Dydd Mawrth Ynyd, which is also known as Pancake Day - Dydd Crempog, usually falls in February but sometimes early March.

It is the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent and therefore, traditionally the last day of feasting before the fasting of Lent, when the last supplies of flour, eggs, butter and milk were used up to make pancakes.

Crempog is the traditional Welsh pancake and was made on a flat bake stone griddle. It is thicker than the British/French crepe and can be made with or without yeast, with buttermilk, oats or speckled with raisins or currants.

Some Welsh traditions at Shrove Tuesday.

* It was a custom in country districts to "thrash the hen" . The hen would be buried in a hole in the ground with only its head sticking out. Blindfolded youths would then try to hit the hen with a stick and if they succeeded, they would keep it for a family meal the following day.

* In Kidwelly on the eve of Shrove Tuesday, tin cans were kicked up and down the streets to commemorate the putting away of all the working utensils and pots and pans that would not be used during Lent.

* In a few areas, the Christmas decorations were not taken down until Shrove Tuesday, when they were removed and burned during the pancake feast.

* There is a suggestion that the English crumpet may have developed from the Welsh word, crempog.