This is how Fat Tuesday is celebrated all over the world

Sweden

One of the holidays of the year is finally here: Fat Tuesday. In Sweden, we usually celebrate Fat Day with rolls, but in other countries they celebrate it with everything from pea soup and pancakes to festivals.

Fat Tuesday is a Christian tradition that falls on the Tuesday after Maundy Sunday. Fat Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter, meaning the day is flexible on the calendar. It can fall anytime between February 3rd and March 9th. This year, Fat Day is celebrated on February 21.

Semla or Standard Roti?

The name Fettisdag refers to all the fatty foods eaten on Fatsday and the word originated as early as 1594. In Sweden, we celebrate Fatsday by eating Semler, or standard bread, as it is called in the southern parts of the country. And according to Wikipedia in the Swedish part of Finland.

The breads are usually eaten as a triangular lid with whipped cream on top of the bread and almond paste in a hollow in the middle of the bread. Sometimes they are served in hot milk according to the 18th century tradition, then called hot wall. In recent years, many variations of Semla have appeared, everything from wraps to pastries, but a traditional Semla still tops the list.

It’s Fat Tuesday all over the world

So in Sweden we eat bread rolls on Shrove Tuesday, but the Icelandic tradition is to eat pea soup and salt meat and in France the day is called Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday.

In some countries, such as Lithuania, the day is called Užgavėnės, and Great Britain and other English-speaking countries call the day Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day, followed by pancakes of course. In Austria and Germany this day is called Faschingsdienstag and is celebrated with feasts and festivals.

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Photo: Johanna Morena