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And what the heck does "Shrovetide" mean? It's from the archaic English verb "to shrive", which refers to the action of a priest hearing your confession and absolving you of your sins. "Shrovetide" is sometimes used interchangeably with "Pre-Lent", but technically, it's just the last three days before Lent – from Quinquagesima Sunday to Shrove Tuesday – when people were expected to confess their sins and get shriven. The Polish names for this period are ''Zapusty'' and ''Ostatki'' ("Last Days").
In some countries, like France, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated as Fat Thursday. In England, it's Pancake Tuesday. In Poland, it's Herring Day (''Śledzik'' or ''Śledziówka''). But herring is a fasting dish, so why would celebrate the last day before Lent by feasting on Lenten food? You know you're gonna be sick of it by the time Lent is over. Well, the reason is quite logical, actually. When you're partying, it's easy to loose track of time and not realise that you've slipped into Lenten territory. And, as they used to say in Poland, "on Shrove Tuesday the devil stands behind outside the tavern door and marks down those leaving after midnight."<ref>{{Cyt
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