On Shrove Tuesday, people are tucking into a pancake feast, as part of a tradition that has lasted for centuries.
Traditionally, Christians would eat pancakes on the last day before Lent begins, to use up foods like eggs and milk, before starting 40 days of fasting for lent.
Now, Pancake Day is celebrated by people all over the world, and some people even hold pancake-flipping competitions.
If you want to join in, you could try this basic pancake recipe, adapted from celeb chef Delia Smith, to make enough mixture for 12-14 pancakes. Yum!
But don't forget to ask your mum and dad to help!
For the pancake mixture:
110g/4oz plain flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter
To serve:
caster sugar
lemon juice
lemon wedges
(NR TIP: you can try anything you like - be imaginative! You could try fruit and maple syrup, chocolate spread, ice cream, melted chocolate... yum)
Instructions
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it.
Begin whisking the eggs.
Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking.
Whisk until all the liquid has been added and the batter has the consistency of thin cream.
Melt the butter in a pan.
Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in. Use the rest of the butter to grease the frying pan before you make each pancake.
Get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium - be really careful doing this bit. You might want to get your mum and dad to help at this point!
Ladle 2 tbsp of the batter into the hot pan all in one go.
Tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter.
After about half a minute, and when the bottom is golden in colour, flip the pancake over.
The other side will only need a few seconds to cook.
Slide the pancake out of the pan onto a plate.
To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar.
Back in August a 16 year old girl found a gold bar while she was swimming in a lake in Germany and now she gets to keep it.
Lucky this girl!
The gold bar weighs half a kilogram
The teenager found the gold bar, worth over £13,500, two metres under water in Lake Koenigssee. Police said that as nobody had come forward in six months to claim the gold that the finder gets to keep it.
Lake Koenigssee
The gold was found in Lake Koenigssee in an area called Bavaria in south East Germany near the border with Austria.
At the time police divers checked the area for more gold but didn't find anything. Following an investigation, nothing else is known about where it came from.
The gold bar has distinctive markings which show the weight of the bar and how pure the gold is.This has helped experts work out that the gold bar is worth a whopping £11,500.
The new year, also known as the Spring Festival, is marked by the lunisolar Chinese calendar, so the date changes from year to year.
The festivities usually start the day before the New Year and continue until the Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the new year.
The Chinese symbol for monkey
Each Chinese New Year is characterised by one of 12 animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese zodiac is divided into 12 blocks (or houses) just like its western counterpart, but with the major difference being that each house has a time-length of one year instead of one month.
This year it's the Year of the Monkey, the ninth animal in the cycle. The next Year of the Monkey will be in 2028.
People born in the Year of the Monkey are characterised as quick-witted, curious, innovative and mischievous, but it is also believed to be one of the most unlucky years in the Chinese calendar.
The general image of people in this zodiac sign is of always being smart, clever and intelligent, especially in their career and wealth.
They are lively, flexible, quick-witted and versatile. In addition, their gentleness and honesty bring them an everlasting love life. Although they were born with enviable skills, they still have several shortcomings, such as an impetuous temper and a tendency to look down upon others.
Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, Celine Dion, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Christina Aguilera, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Alice Walker, Michael Douglas, Owen Wilson, Daniel Craig, Mick Jagger, Bette Davis, Annie Oakley, Eleanor Roosevelt, Cuba Gooding Jr., Gisele Bundchen, Kim Cattrall, Nick Carter, Patricia Arquette, Alyson Stoner, Christina Ricci, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas, Selena Gomez.
Which Chinese Zodiac sign are you?
Your sign is derived from the year you were born in the Chinese lunar calendar.
The years below are a rough guide, but if you were born in January or February it may be slightly different as the new year moves between 21 January and February 20.
