From the Prayer Journal of Fr. Jack Tolley

​Friends: We have two events coming up on the Episcopal Church's Liturgical calendar.
They are Ash Wednesday and Shrove Tuesday.
Here's some  information about them I thought you might find helpful. 
Blessings, love, and hugs, Fr. Jack.
 
Ash Wednesday: Day on the liturgical Calendar forty-six days, or forty days other than Sundays, before Easter; marks the beginning Lent. Follows Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday," or Shrove Tuesday. See the Book of Common Prayer service on  page 264 for Ash Wednesday, which sets an appropriately penitential or preparatory tone for Lent. The name Ash Wednesday derives from the traditional rite of that day in which the celebrant makes the sign of the cross on the foreheads of the worshippers, using ashes made of palm leaves left over from the preceding Palm Sunday celebration.
 
Shrove Tuesday: The day before Ash Wednesday, named for the "shriving" or confessions and absolutions,
performed traditionally on that day. Also known as "Mardi Gras," or "Fat Tuesday," for those who prepare for Lent
by making sure they have sins of which to repent.
 
The Men of St. John's Church  will be hosting a free pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday,
February 25, at 5:30 pm, for the parish family.
 
Source of this information: "A New Dictionary for Episcopalians,"
by The Rev. John N. Wall, Jr. Winston Press.