Shrove Tuesday activities

If there’s one thing Saint Philip’s and other churches have learned this past year, it’s that we can still meaningfully and wonderfully lean into the celebrations of the church year at home with our families. To that end, this community will carry out the traditional burning of the palms and burying of the Alleluias on Shrove Tuesday, February 16.

At 7:00pm Tuesday we'll premiere a video of the Burning of the Palms, followed by the burying of the Alleluias. (After this day, the Alleluia isn’t said liturgically until Easter.) You’ll find the video via Saint Philip’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/StPhilipsTucson/.

Here is one way to use the video as part of your home celebration:

1. Gather some paper and pencils, pens, crayons, maybe even scissors, tape and glue, and a large water-tight zip-lock bag or some other water-proof container.

2. Create one or more Alleluias! Draw the word, decorate the word, collage the word, bedazzle and glitterfy the word; whatever you do will be perfect!

3. Prepare a delicious traditional pancake supper. Yes: breakfast for dinner! In olden days, this was a way of using up lard/animal fat so you weren’t tempted to use it during Lent.

4. Watch the video of the Burning of the Palms and the Burying of the Alleluia.

5. Place your own Alleluia(s) in the zip-lock bag or container, and bury them in your own back yard!  (A liturgy will be provided for this.)  Of course, you could also place them in a box or other container in your home if you’d rather not go digging about. (But remember not to open the box!)