Just before half term, Form 6 had to complete a special kind of homework as part of their learning in French. They discovered the tradition of La Chandeleur and made pancakes following the recipe in French. This French tradition takes place on the 2nd of February. In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I chose to mark this event by giving pancakes to the poor of Rome, as their round shape and golden colour was said to symbolise the sun.

 

As La Chandeleur falls between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, it was often seen as the beginning of the end of winter and a time to look forward to spring. The crêpe-making process is also surrounded by superstition. Tradition dictates that the chef should toss the crêpes while holding the pan in their right hand and a gold coin in their left. A successful pancake toss is said to bring good luck and prosperity, but if your pancake ends up on the floor... it might not be your year!

 

Thank you to everyone who sent in photographs of their pancakes being made, flipped and eaten. It looks like a tremendous amount of fun was had by everyone and it was excellent preparation for Shrove Tuesday this week. Anders also shared with us that for Shrove Tuesday in Sweden, people eat something called Semla, which is a sweet fluffy cardamom bun, hollowed out and filled with marzipan mixed with breadcrumbs and cream and then lots of whipped cream. It sounds delicious!

The children are very much looking forward to Book Week next week and especially to dressing up on Thursday.