NEXT Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, which traditionally is a day for feasting before Lent, a period of fasting.

When I lived on the Swiss-German border I enjoyed Basel’s carnival, or fastnacht (which, unusually, is held during the week after Shrove Tuesday).

Early on the Monday morning, residents and visitors stand in the streets in freezing cold, waiting for the stroke of 4am, when the lights go out and piccolos and drums start playing. Musicians and other participants parade past, dressed in costumes and masks and carrying lanterns. The merry-making continues for three days.

Shrove Tuesday, with its pancakes, comes between the feasts of Christmas Day and Easter Day, when tables are laden with seasonal food. These times of feasting are balanced by Lent, which is a more restrained time.

Fasting is not popular in the UK, and these days many people try to “give up something for Lent” rather than fast. The most novel form of fasting I have participated in was a “carbon fast”, whereby in consideration for the environment, we aimed to use less electricity at home.

Just as abstaining from rich food after Christmas is beneficial for the body, so taking time to be quiet and reflect can be beneficial for the soul. Our souls are nourished if we balance our busy rushing around with prayer and meditation. Many of Skipton’s residents and visitors take advantage of the quiet and stillness in Holy Trinity Church in order to do just that.

We need both times of feasting and times of fasting. If we can accept that we can’t party all the time and use the quieter times in our lives to reflect, we can benefit from both.

The Rev Heather Houlton

Curate, Holy Trinity Church, Skipton