CANDLEMAS. As Pancake Festival takes place this Friday, February 2, are you looking for a pancake batter recipe that is both classic and tasty? This article is made for you !
[Updated January 29, 2024 at 3:40 p.m.] This Friday, February 2, it’s Candlemas and foodies are already salivating! If this festival is of Christian tradition, for many it is an opportunity to eat pancakes. Flour, eggs, milk and butter: After gathering the basic ingredients, it’s time to get cooking. Do you know the real recipe for Candlemas pancakes? If everyone adds their secret ingredient (a few drops of beer, orange blossom or cinnamon), the main actions are the same for everyone and ensure a successful snack.
This pancake festival is not just limited to France. It is also celebrated in Switzerland, Luxembourg and even Mexico, where it is called Día de la candelaria! Mexicans gather around tamales, a type of pancake with South American sauce. The feast resembles that of the three wise men, since during Candlemas in Mexico, a kings cake is eaten, in which a bean representing the child Jesus is hidden. Whoever pulls the bean is responsible for preparing the tamales. This practice was exported by Mexican communities who settled all over the world. It is part of the intangible cultural heritage in France.
In Luxembourg, crepes are not the only stars of Candlemas. As eagerly awaited as in France by schoolchildren, Candlemas intersects somewhat with Halloween in the country. Children, equipped with colorful lanterns, called Liichtebengelcher and generally made in class, wander the streets in search of a few coins or sweets. In the United States and Canada, where the crepe is replaced by the pancake, Candlemas has given way to “Groundhog Day”, which consists of waiting patiently for a groundhog to come out of its burrow. Like a prediction, depending on the animal’s movements, we could know if the winter will be long.
Christianity appropriated the date February 2, at least from the 4th century, before the event was made official by Pope Gelasius. On this day, Christians celebrate the presentation of Christ in the Temple, 40 days after Christmas, the day of his appearance into the world. During the presentation of Mary’s son, Simeon would have recognized the “divine nature” of Jesus. It is this sacred fact which will give Christians the meaning of Candlemas, where we will celebrate the light brought to the Earth. Believers will then develop the practice of lighting candles. Hence the name Candlemas, which comes from the Latin “Festa candelarum”, “candlelight festival”.
