If there was ever a time I’d love for our guides to contribute to the McCarthy’s Party Blog page it would probably be this month when the Christian world celebrates ‘Pancake Day, ‘Shrove Tuesday’, ‘Mardi Gras’, or ‘Carnival’. For all the unique and wonderful traditions exhibited throughout the world in the weeks leading up to a 40 day, pre-Easter ‘fast’, I’m pretty certain that Newfoundland could rival even the most obscure and unusual preparations. Due to the fact that our guides hail from every corner of this notably isolated island – together we should be able to table a pretty eclectic mix of traditions for the occasion.
As is often practiced throughout most of North America and much of Europe, Newfoundlanders enjoy a meal of pancakes on the evening before “Ash Wednesday”. A pancake utilizes the same ingredients as a cake except it’s fried in a pan instead of baked in the oven. A pancake dinner was part of a celebratory feast or a last supper that hopefully padded our girth with an extra layer of fat to sustain us through the lean month ahead. However it was also a way to ensure the remainder of Lent’s forbidden stores would be used up to avoid future temptations before Easter.
What makes Newfoundland’s pancake celebration unusual is that we hide trinkets in our batter as symbols used to foretell the family’s future. The person who forks up a cake with a nail hidden inside will become a carpenter or a tradesman. A wedding ring means you will be the first to marry; whereas a button foretells a life as a bachelor. A silver dollar indicates you will grow to be wealthy while the person who discovers a penny will be subject to a life of poverty. A Holy Cross in your pancake suggests a commitment to the church and a life “of the cloth” – a nun, a priest or a Christian brother. Another interesting twist in Newfoundland’s pancake celebration includes the use of a Molasses topping instead of maple syrup. Sugar Maple trees are not indigenous to Newfoundland and therefore a supply of the sugary liquid would be unheard of. We don’t grow sugar can here either – but we did have an abundance of cod fish. Though most of our fish ended up in Europe and America – the poorer grades of fish were often traded in the West Indies for their left over stores of rum and molasses.
But perhaps the most unusual tradition is the fact that Newfoundlanders celebrate ‘Mardi Gras’ on October 31st. I’ve never really understood how bar owners and revelers ever managed to bungle the opportunity to enjoy an extra night of partying each year (especially in the lean month of February) but my conversations and research for this article has allowed me to formulate this theory. Halloween is a relatively new phenomenon in Newfoundland. It was introduced to the island when the Americans arrived and established three military bases here during the Second World War. The Americans had large entertainment budgets for their military personnel and their generosity often spilled into the surrounding communities, especially during holiday celebrations. While Newfoundland ‘Tricksters’ were known to take advantage of the religious holiday during ‘All Hallows’ to capitalize on local superstitions regarding ghosts and spirits to pull pranks in the community; the American concept of costumes and ‘Trick or Treating’ came to be viewed as more of a children’s celebration. Adult costumes and masquerade parties was more strongly associated with the ‘Carnivals’ sailors would speak of when returning from exotic ports. Furthermore, with Newfoundland’s limited exposure to foreign languages, few people realize that ‘Mardi Gras’ translates as “Fat Tuesday” so the name simply became a new colloquialism for drinking in costume.
As a final aside – when I started this article idea I was discussing the concept with a friend who suggested I also include a list of the unusual luxuries some Newfoundlanders will forgo during the Lenten period; quickly providing his own personal sacrifice – He’s giving up “Hope”. Oh my – thankfully our sense of humour should be enough to carry us through the next month. Certain you can now see why I’m so anxious to hear from the rest of the McCarthy’s Party team on this subject!
