Shrove Tuesday Shrove Tuesday Shrove Tuesday (also known in Commonwealth countries and Ireland as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake day) is the day in February or March immediately preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), which is celebrated in some countries by consuming pancakes. In others, especially those where it is called Mardi Gras or some translation thereof, this is a carnival day, and also the last day of "fat eating" or "gorging" before the fasting period of Lent. This moveable feast is determined by Easter. The expression "Shrove Tuesday" comes from the word "shrive", meaning "absolve". Shrove Tuesday is observed by
Rio de Janeiro (state) the background. The outer part of the coat of arms represents the state's agricultural richness, sugarcane (left) and coffee (right). Rio de Janeiro (state) Rio de Janeiro () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil. It has the second largest economy of Brazil, with the largest being that of the state of São Paulo. The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast (assigned by IBGE). Rio de Janeiro shares borders with all the other states in the same Southeast macroregion: Minas Gerais (N and NW), Espírito Santo (NE) and