(File photo provided) Attendees enjoy Fat Tuesday “Breakfast for Dinner” at the First Lutheran Church in 2020.

PARKERSBURG — Churches across the Mid-Ohio Valley are inviting the community to gather for pancakes Tuesday as Christians prepare for Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season.

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, falls on the day before Ash Wednesday and marks the final day before Lent begins in Western Christian churches. The date varies each year depending on when Easter falls, according to Britannica.

The name “Shrove” comes from “shrive,” a term referring to confession of sins as preparation for Lent, a practice common in medieval Europe, according to Britannica. While the day historically emphasized self-examination, it later developed into a time of communal celebration in many cultures.

In some parts of the world, Shrove Tuesday is marked with large public festivals. In Binche, Belgium, revelers known as “Gilles” parade through the streets in colorful costumes and later throw oranges to onlookers, according to Britannica. In New Orleans, the day is widely known as Mardi Gras and is associated with king cake, an iced pastry decorated in purple, green and gold.

Food traditions are central to the day because Shrove Tuesday precedes the austerity of Lent, according to Britannica. Many customs focus on rich foods made with eggs, sugar and fat – ingredients that were historically avoided during the Lenten fast. In several European countries, the day is commonly called Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday.

(File photo provided) Mardi Gras-themed decorations from the Fat Tuesday “Breakfast for Dinner” celebration at First Lutheran Church in 2020. Andrea Brock, president of the church council said the decorations would remain the same this year.

Locally, churches say the tradition offers both a practical and spiritual way to prepare for Lent.

Pastor Cynthia Eakle of Rockland Fellowship Global Methodist Church in Belpre said the pancake dinner reflects preparation for the season of Lent and a time of reflection.

“We gather together to celebrate with each other, but the pancake is the tradition of doing away with any kind of leavening in your household, preparing for the time of Lent,” Eakle said. “It’s a day of preparation and getting ready for the Lenten season to rid your lives of any kind of leavening or any kind of thing that holds you back.”

Eakle said Rockland recently merged with Revelation Fellowship in Parkersburg, bringing two congregations together earlier this month. She said the Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner is one of the first events held jointly by the newly combined church.

“This is one of our first dinners together, and we’re really excited about that,” Eakle said. “We’re bringing traditions from both churches together and celebrating together and inviting the community to come and celebrate with us.”

(File photo provided) Members of the Men’s Prayer Breakfast Group at the First Lutheran Church in Parkersburg prepare the food each year for the church’s Fat Tuesday “Breakfast for Dinner” event. Pictured, from left, in 2024 are (back row) Chaplain Ben Erzkus, West Virginia University Lutheran Campus Ministry, and First Lutheran Pastor Ian Reid; and, (front row) Gary Welch, Dennis Butcher, Dr. Ernie Miller, Gary Miller, Greg Goodfellow and Doug Woolley.

At Stout Memorial United Methodist Church in Parkersburg, Pastor Helen Oates said Shrove Tuesday highlights the contrast between indulgence and the discipline of Lent.

“It’s a throwback to Mardi Gras – we look at the excess of our living before we begin Lent, and that gets expressed in pancakes,” Oates said. “It helps us feel the contrast of it.”

Oates said proceeds from Stout Memorial’s pancake dinner support the church’s mission team and outreach efforts, including community assistance programs.

“Our mission is to be a light to the community,” Oates said. “Not only to be a light at the church, but out in the community.”

At First Lutheran Church in Parkersburg, the Fat Tuesday meal has been a tradition for decades, according to Andrea Brock, president of the church council.

“We have been doing this for as long as I can remember,” Brock said. She said the dinner marks “the last full supper before the start of Lent,” adding that the men’s prayer breakfast group has handled the cooking and serving for many years.

“It’s always a fun evening for us,” she said.

Brock said proceeds from First Lutheran’s dinner support the Lutheran Campus Ministry at West Virginia University, which provides a gathering space and regular services for students and faculty on campus.

“It’s a nice community for the students, and it’s a safe place for them to gather,” Brock said.