Fasnacht Day

Lead Sinkers disguised as Pastries

Today is Fasnacht Day

The word is Hard

It's just a Pastry

Made with Lard

Ah, February 17th, 2026. a lot is happening or happened today.

• We had the first solar eclipse of 2026 at 7:12 ET that created the famous "ring of fire" effect.

• For my Hindu friends, happy Bhaumvati Amavasya

• Thomas Jefferson was elected the 3rd U.S. President

• It's Michael Jordan, Paris Hilton, Billie Joe Armstrong and Ed Sheeran's birthday (as well as approximately 385,000 other people across the globe)

• It's Shrove Tuesday (Also known as Pancake Tuesday)

• It's the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year marking the start of the Year of the Fire Horse

• It's Fat Tuesday (also known as Mardi Gras and Carnival Tuesday)

• It's Fasnacht Day!

Since Pennsylvania is steeped in Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, I would be remiss if I didn't talk a little about Fasnacht Day, which is also known as Fastnacht or Faasenacht. It's an annual celebration that occurs on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. It's significant because it precedes the Lenten season. Lent is seen by Christians as a period of fasting and reflection. In fact, the term Fasnacht translates to "the night before the fast" and reflects the tradition of indulging in rich foods before the fast period begins.

Fasnacht Day traces its origins back to Germany. It was celebrated by using up perishable ingredients before Lent starts. Today is the day that people indulge in fasnachts, which are deep-fried pastries that are made from a rich dough that often includes potato flour, eggs, sugar and butter or lard. They're typically square or triangle shaped (See picture above) and are often dusted with either sugar or cinnamon. For the Pennsylvania Dutch community, it's a way to gather friends and family.

If you're from Lancaster County or one of several surrounding counties, it's spelled fasnachts (without the middle "T") and comes directly from Pennsylvania Dutch dialect.

If you've never tried a Fasnacht and want to carb load before Lent, the typical Fasnacht contains flour, sugar, milk potatoes and then deep fried in lard and range from 20-40 grams of carbs each.

In this area, you can buy authentic fasnachts in several locations. According to the Morning Call:

• Ahart's Markets

• The Buttered Crumb LLC

• Egypt Star Bakery

• J. DeFranco and Daughters

• Jacob's Church

• Naz-O-Nut

• Giant Supermarkets

• Mary Ann Donut Kitchen

• Pappy's Orchard and Bakery

• Redner's Markets

• Vallos Bakery

• Wegman's Supermarkets

• Weis Markets

Enjoy!