In the Christian calendar Ash Wednesday signals the start of Lent, and the fast that precedes Easter. This year it falls on February 22. The day before, Tuesday February 21, is Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) – the feast before the fast. This is celebrated with rich and sweet foods, ostensibly to use up some of those ingredients before they are put away for the duration. But it is also a chance to indulge before the period of abstinence and reflection.
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