Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday) is marked in many Christian‑heritage countries, but the way it’s celebrated (and whether actual pancakes are eaten) varies a lot.

Short answer

Countries that are well known for celebrating a version of Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday include:

  • United Kingdom and Ireland (classic lemon-and-sugar pancakes).
  • Canada and Australia (similar to UK, often with maple syrup in Canada).
  • United States (mainly as Mardi Gras, especially New Orleans).
  • France and other French‑influenced places as Mardi Gras.
  • Brazil, Spain, Italy and other Latin countries as the final day of Carnival.
  • Nordic and Baltic countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania (buns, semla, pea soup, lots of food instead of or alongside pancakes).
  • Poland and Portugal via Fat Thursday/Fat Tuesday style feasting.
  • Russia with Maslenitsa and blini.

Not every place focuses on pancakes, but many share the same pre‑Lent “eat rich food before fasting” idea.

What “Pancake Day” actually means

  • In English‑speaking countries, Pancake Day usually means Shrove Tuesday: the day before Lent starts, when people traditionally used up eggs, milk and butter in pancakes.
  • In others, the same date is better known as Mardi Gras, Carnival, or local festival names, but it’s tied to the same pre‑Lent moment.

Think of it as one tradition with lots of regional “skins”: pancakes, buns, doughnuts, rolls and full‑blown street carnivals.

Countries that clearly celebrate Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday

Here are the countries where the day itself (or its close equivalent) is widely marked, with or without literal pancakes:

  • United Kingdom – Classic thin pancakes with lemon and sugar; races and school events on Shrove Tuesday.
  • Ireland – Very similar to the UK, with homes and schools making pancakes on the Tuesday before Lent.
  • Canada – Shrove Tuesday pancakes with maple syrup, sometimes partridge berry jam and sausages.
  • Australia – Recognizes Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday, often used as a charity fundraising event alongside pancake meals.
  • United States – The date is better known as Mardi Gras, especially in New Orleans, where parades and king cake are central; pancakes exist but are less iconic than in the UK.
  • France – Celebrates Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday with rich foods; it shares the same origin as Pancake Day.

These are the places most people online mean when they ask “which countries celebrate Pancake Day?” because the pancake link is very explicit.

Countries with related pre‑Lent “Pancake Day‑style” traditions

Many other countries celebrate the same time of year, but the food and name differ:

  • Denmark – Fastelavn, on the Sunday before Shrove Tuesday, involves costumes and sweet buns (Fastelavnsboller) made to use up dairy before Lent.
  • Sweden – Fettisdagen (“Fat Tuesday”) is marked with semla buns filled with almond paste and cream, a classic pre‑Lent treat.
  • Finland – Laskiainen is celebrated with pea soup and cream‑filled buns (laskiaispulla), again tied to using rich ingredients before fasting.
  • Lithuania – Užgavėnės features lots of food, including pancakes and doughnut‑like treats, with people encouraged to eat many meals that day.
  • Poland – Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday) happens the week before, with doughnuts and rich pastries as a pre‑Lent blow‑out.
  • Portugal – Carnival includes feasting and sweets like malassadas (fried doughnuts) around Shrove Tuesday.
  • Spain – Some regions hold Día de la Tortilla (“Day of the Omelette”) near Shrove Tuesday; people eat omelettes and hold local feasts.
  • Italy & Brazil – Carnival reaches its peak just before Lent, with parades, costumes and indulgent food rather than a strict “pancake” focus.
  • Russia – Maslenitsa is nicknamed Pancake Week; people eat thin blini pancakes with various fillings before Lent.

All of these share the same pre‑Lent logic even when pancakes are swapped for buns or doughnuts.

HTML table of key countries and whether they “celebrate Pancake Day”

Below is an HTML table, as requested, rather than Markdown:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Country/Region</th>
      <th>Local name / main term</th>
      <th>Do they eat pancakes?</th>
      <th>Notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>United Kingdom</td>
      <td>Pancake Day / Shrove Tuesday</td>
      <td>Yes – thin pancakes with lemon and sugar</td>
      <td>Very popular; school and community events are common. [web:1][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Ireland</td>
      <td>Pancake Tuesday / Shrove Tuesday</td>
      <td>Yes – similar to UK</td>
      <td>Households and schools make pancakes on the day before Lent. [web:1][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Canada</td>
      <td>Pancake Day / Shrove Tuesday</td>
      <td>Yes – often with maple syrup</td>
      <td>Uses rich toppings like maple syrup, partridge berry jam and sausages. [web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Australia</td>
      <td>Pancake Day / Shrove Tuesday</td>
      <td>Yes</td>
      <td>Observed similarly to UK; sometimes used for charity fundraising. [web:1]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>United States</td>
      <td>Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday</td>
      <td>Sometimes; king cake is more iconic</td>
      <td>Best known for New Orleans parades and king cake on Fat Tuesday. [web:1][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>France</td>
      <td>Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)</td>
      <td>Yes, but broader rich foods focus</td>
      <td>Part of Carnival season before Lent; same calendar slot as Shrove Tuesday. [web:1][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Denmark</td>
      <td>Fastelavn</td>
      <td>Mainly buns, not pancakes</td>
      <td>Sunday before Shrove Tuesday; children dress up and eat cream-filled buns. [web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Sweden</td>
      <td>Fettisdagen (Fat Tuesday)</td>
      <td>Focus on semla buns</td>
      <td>Almond paste and cream-filled buns as pre-Lent treat. [web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Finland</td>
      <td>Laskiainen</td>
      <td>Pea soup and buns</td>
      <td>Green pea soup and cream-filled buns served before fasting. [web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Lithuania</td>
      <td>Užgavėnės</td>
      <td>Pancakes and other rich foods</td>
      <td>Eat multiple meals; pancakes’ round shape can symbolize the sun. [web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Poland</td>
      <td>Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday)</td>
      <td>Mainly doughnuts and pastries</td>
      <td>Celebrated the Thursday before Lent with very rich, sweet foods. [web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Portugal</td>
      <td>Carnival</td>
      <td>Rich pastries (e.g. malassadas)</td>
      <td>Pre-Lent celebrations include fried doughnuts and sweets. [web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Spain</td>
      <td>Día de la Tortilla in some regions</td>
      <td>Omelettes instead of pancakes</td>
      <td>Feasts in local squares; timing linked to Shrove Tuesday/Carnival. [web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Italy</td>
      <td>Carnevale</td>
      <td>Feasting, sweets, fried dough</td>
      <td>Same pre-Lent concept, different foods; not strongly “pancake branded”. [web:1][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Brazil</td>
      <td>Carnaval</td>
      <td>Feasting, street food</td>
      <td>World-famous Carnival ending just before Lent; food is rich but varied. [web:1][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Russia</td>
      <td>Maslenitsa (Pancake Week)</td>
      <td>Yes – lots of blini</td>
      <td>Thin pancakes with fillings, celebrated over a whole week before Lent. [web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

How people online are talking about it (forum flavour)

Recent forum threads show people trading nostalgic stories about how their country does (or doesn’t) celebrate Pancake Tuesday. Some mention growing up with trinkets hidden in pancakes to “predict the future” (coins for wealth, buttons for poverty and so on), while others are just discovering that Pancake Day even exists and joking about combining it with Taco Tuesday.

So if you’re asking “which countries celebrate Pancake Day,” the broad answer is: most historically Christian countries in Europe, the Americas and parts of Oceania mark that pre‑Lent day somehow, but only a subset actually brand it as “Pancake Day” and put pancakes at the center of the celebration.

TL;DR:

  • Clear “Pancake Day” with actual pancakes: UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, some US and French‑influenced areas.
  • Same day, different name/food (but same idea of one last feast before Lent): Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Russia and more.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.