What is Collops Monday?
WHAT IS COLLOPS MONDAY? It's a day to feast on collops (slices) of bacon and, if you like, eggs as well. It's a British tradition that has largely died out. We had porridge for breakfast today. WHEN IS COLLOPS MONDAY? It's the day before Shrove Tuesday , which is the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent begins. This year Collops Monday is today. The date changes each year because Lent is the time of preparation for Easter which is a moveable feast. World-wide there are many traditions associated with the days before Lent begins. Often these are about carnival and fun before the austerity of Lent, as I highlighted last year in Rosenmontag . The Puritans did a thorough job of eliminating from the English calendar any merry-making that might lead to sin. This included Christmas for a while and I believe it is still illegal in England to eat mince pies at Christmas. But - back to Collops Monday. WHY EAT COLLOPS OF BACON TODAY? Like that of abstaining from meat dur...