Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent, when traditionally all the rich foods such as butter and eggs are consumed before the Lent fast. The word Shrove means pardon because it is on the Tuesday before Lent that people would go to church to make their confession and receive forgiveness.
Around the country there are many traditions connected with this day, in particular the eating of pancakes and pancake races. In Cornwall, in the town of St. Columb Major they have ‘hurling’, an energetic and sometimes violent game played between the townsmen and countrymen of the parish. The ball is made of silver coated apple wood. If you want to find out more about how the game is played (it is similar to rugby football), you can follow the link here