Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday.<br />It takes place before Christians observe the start of Lent, leading up to Easter.<br />But the day has another familiar name: Pancake Day.<br />The tradition of eating pancakes on this day stems from about A.D. 600 when Pope St. Gregory prohibited Christians from eating meat and animal products during Lent.<br />In an effort to use up their eggs, milk and butter before Lent, Christians would make pancakes.<br />The tradition spread throughout Europe, prompting the French to follow a similar direction by making waffles, crepes and king cake.<br />They deemed the day to be called Mardi Gras.The English called it Pancake Day.
