Is indulgence as important as restraint? In many countries Shrove Tuesday is an excuse for feasting and fun — and some experts believe that we should have more of both.
How pancakes won over the world
Into the frying pan: Britons are set to crack 52 million eggs today — or 22 million more than on the average day. Glossary
Lent - In the Christian calendar the period of penitence runs from Ash Wednesday (when penitents mark their foreheads with ashes as a sign of repentance) to Easter. Deeply significant in Christianity, it is followed by Easter Sunday. Easter and its symbolism coincide with the celebration of spring.
Medieval - Relating to the Middle Ages.
Meditation - The name for a variety of techniques to train attention and awareness, for instance by focusing on the movement of your breath. Meditation existed long before Buddhism and is also an element in the practice of other religions, including Hinduism.
Indulgence - Allowing oneself to take pleasure in luxurious things.
Mardi Gras - French for "Fat Tuesday", for eating up richer, fatty foods. In English known as Shrove Tuesday, preceding Ash Wednesday (see below).
New Orleans - A city in the US state of Louisiana.
Ascetic - Someone who absents themselves from worldly pleasures.