Mardi Gras traditions

Shrove Tuesday came to Denmark in the 14th century with German traders, who called it 'Fasteabend', which means the evening before Lent. For 40 days after that, people were not allowed to eat meat, but only bread, porridge and fish, and the priests also encouraged sexual abstinence!

When one had to suffer deprivation for so long, people feasted the night before Lent began.

Shrove Tuesday started with a procession. The unmarried men led the way (they were dressed in white shirts) and to the sound of music they rode around to the village farms – because being visited by a Shrove Tuesday procession brought good luck to both the farms and the people on the farms.

Upon each arrival, they were treated to apple slices and brandy. Madmor was ready with the clay dish and hubby with the bottle! The day ended with a party, Danish and a lot of home-brewed beer.

Shrove Monday

On Shrove Monday, the antics continued – it was a pure display of the men's strength and endurance, because only the village's unmarried men fought against each other.

There could be several disciplines – several of these would seem violent with “today's glasses.” In Denmark, it was customary to pull the head off a live rooster or goose.

Yes, and then there was the custom of beating the cat out of the barrel, where a real live cat was used! Or several cats that had been previously wrapped together in a strong rope. The barrel was hung across the village street, where men on horseback beat on the barrel until the cat jumped out!

When that happened, the cat king was found and the person could look forward to a whole year of special perks, such as getting off a little cheaper in taxes.

And the half-dead cat was hurriedly buried far away in a field – because in that way it was said that one had buried “all the evil.” In the past, the cat was considered the witches' animal, identical to evil.

The custom of beating the cat out of the barrel is, by the way, only a Danish tradition.

But there were also other, slightly more peaceful disciplines – for example, racing or ring riding – which are said to be a particularly East Jutland carnival custom.

Maundy Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

The day after the festivities was called Shrove Tuesday. It was the day when people forgot all about their daily bread – rye bread – and instead ate white bread, i.e. wheat bread with butter, which they softened in warm milk.

The midwife could also be in a good mood and serve Shrove Tuesday pretzels with flour, water, salt and caraway.

On Ash Wednesday, the feast ended and people dressed in sackcloth and ashes to show that they had turned their thoughts away from all worldly pleasures. Ashes were a symbol of abstinence.

The day started off very dramatically. It was customary for the maidens to greet the bachelors with branches or sticks. The girls used birch twigs or willow twigs decorated with colored ribbons, paper flowers and colored eggshells. The symbolism of this action has been interpreted as “beating up the guys” and most agree that it was an innocent way for the girls to “make themselves look good” – innocent but still eye-catching!

Fasting is abolished

After the Reformation in 1536, Lent was abolished. When fasting was no longer practiced, Shrove Tuesday became a seasonal festival that, in the old farming community, marked the start of a new year of work for the farmer in the fields and gardens.

If you would like to try baking old-fashioned Shrove Tuesday buns yourself, here is an old recipe from a Danish cookbook from 1874:

 

Recipe for old-fashioned Shrove Tuesday buns

Ingredients: 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 25 grams of yeast, a little cardamom, 125 grams of butter, 2½ dl of milk, 500 grams of flour, 125 grams of raisins and a little sugar. (approx. 30 buns)

Eggs are stirred with sugar, yeast, a little cardamom, melted butter and lukewarm milk. It is mixed with flour, kneaded and left to rise for approx. 1 hour. Raisins and sugar are added to the dough. Then the dough is rolled into a long sausage, from which 30 pieces are cut and rolled into rounds. They are placed on a baking sheet and left to rise again (approx. 30 minutes). Place in the oven and bake approx. 180 degrees for 15 minutes.