The Holy Trinity...

...of pancake accompaniments.
We had that lesser known Shrove Monday today. Tomorrow is a very busy day so there will be no time for pancakes, so we brought it forward.
According to the all-knowing Wikipedia:

"Like many other European holidays, the pancake day was originally a pagan holiday. Before the Christian era, the Slavs believed that the change of seasons was a struggle between Jarilo, the god of vegetation, fertility and springtime, and the evil spirits of cold and darkness. People believed that they had to help Jarilo fight against winter and bring in the spring. The most important part of Shrovetide week (the whole celebration of the arrival of spring lasted one week) was making and eating pancakes. The hot, round pancakes symbolized the sun. The Slavs believed that by eating pancakes, they got the power, light and warmth of the sun. The first pancake was usually put on a window for the spirits of the ancestors.On the last day of Shrovetide week some pancakes and other food were burnt in a bonfire as a sacrifice to the pagan gods"

Although I didn't previously know this it was a safe bet that it was originally a Pagan festival, all the best ones were.

I like the idea of round pancakes symbolising the Sun, maybe that's why we eat them hot?  I also think putting the first one in the window is good as the first one is rubbish and usually binned, I always say it is an offering to the Pan goddess.

Ciao