What: We all make special pancakes!
Why: It’s something to look forward to.
When: The last Saturday of every month.
St. Pancake’s Day: The Basics
What is St. Pancake’s Day?
It’s very simple! The last Saturday of every month, we all make pancakes, and we fill them with something fun. What you fill them with is entirely up to you! What’s most important is that you have fun thinking about what to put inside the batter, and then you eat them together with people you love.
Who is this for?
Everyone! Kids, parents, roommates, astronauts, animals, anyone who likes pancakes and thinks they might taste better when stuffed with something.
Where did this come from?
No one really knows. Some people say that pictures of St. Pancake have been found on cave walls dating back thousands of years. Others have said that Ariel, one of the makers of this site, had heard his daughter tell him “I just need something to look forward to,” and they created the ongoing holiday and the tale of St. Pancake. What you believe is entirely up to you.
How can I participate?
Easy! Here’s our suggestion:
Read the story
Think about ingredients that might be amazing inside pancakes
Make pancakes and put those ingredients inside
Eat the pancakes
Share your incredible pancakes with the world, tagging @StPancakesDay and using the hashtag #StPancakesDay
Get your friends to join in next month!
Who are you and why are you doing this?
Our names are Ariel Dovas and Matt Garmur. We both have young kids who are stuck at home and isolated, and we want to give them something to look forward to. Reading the story of St. Pancake got them excited, and at a time when the days stretch together, getting excited about something is a lot.
Ariel had put together an annual spring celebration for his family during the shelter-in-place rules, and it was noticeably different from what it had been last year. That made him realize that right now, we need new holidays, ones that don’t come with the baggage of not living up to what they’ve always been.
Being a kid right now is hard. Being a parent right now is hard. Being a human right now is hard. We felt like this would be a fun way to try and contribute some joy back to the community.
Like hearing stories?
Let Evan Gregory (of The Gregory Brothers) read you the tale of the one and only St. Pancake. If you pay close enough attention, you might even notice a wink!
Or, if listening’s not your thing, read the full story below.
The Story of St. Pancake
One dreary day, the family was stuck inside with nothing to do. It was too cold to go outside. Or maybe it was too hot. Or maybe there were bears, nobody really remembers.
What we do know is that it was late afternoon, and Pam, Jack, Daddy and Papa were sitting around the living room, bored, grumpy, silently sulking.
“Gruff!” Latke, the dog, barked out in her sleep.
“Grrrr-idddllle!” Fritter Critter, the other dog, barked in response.
“Hush, puppies!” Daddy ordered.
“All right, look,” Papa announced. “Just ‘cause we’re stuck inside doesn’t mean we can’t have fun!”
“Well, what are we gonna do?” Jack asked dramatically, as always.
“I'm glad you asked -- we’re gonna . . . make pancakes! And we’re eating them for dinner! And as an added bonus, I'm going to put something special in them!” Papa replied, with a twinkle in his eye.
"Pancakes!" Everyone’s ears perked up. Special? Pancakes? For dinner??
Papa bounced off to the kitchen to get the batter going, leaving everyone else wondering about that special ingredient. What would it be? And what should it be? They all glanced around the room, the same sneaky idea flickering across their faces.
"Well, I'm going to my room to read," said Jack, with a flourish.
"I have to wash some clothes," exclaimed Daddy.
"My soccer ball's not going to kick itself," laughed Pam.
And away they all went, looking as casual as possible.
In the kitchen, Papa had whipped up the batter. The secret to his famous pancakes was giving it a few minutes to settle, so he set a timer for 10 minutes and went to take the dogs out for a tinkle.
Not one minute after Papa left, Jack appeared in the kitchen, somehow already dressed entirely in black. Quickly and quietly, he reached into his hidden stash of leftover Halloween candy to grab a bag of jelly beans. Plop, plop & plip! In went the beans, where they sank out of sight. Then drop, roll & zip! Out went Jack, who did the same.
No sooner was he gone than Pam glided into the kitchen. Peering into the bowl and seeing only batter, she darted over to the cupboard. Opening the jar of peanut butter, she dropped a gigantic scoop right into the bowl. In one motion she licked the spoon, flipped it deftly into the sink, put the jar back where it belonged, closed the cupboard door with her elbow, and slinked back out the way she came.
As the peanut butter disappeared into the batter, Daddy peeked into the kitchen. Seeing no one, he opened the fridge. Being a nutritious fellow and generally preferring the savory option, he took out corn, broccoli, onions and cheese. Down into the batter they went, and out of the room snuck Daddy.
The kitchen was empty once more. The bowl, not so much.
The timer buzzed just as Papa was coming back inside. He peered into the mixing bowl. It seemed fuller than when he left . . . was the batter rising? In any case, it was time to make the cakes, and to add his surprise! Smiling to himself, he added the special ingredient: a heaping handful of rainbow sprinkles.
Butter sizzling in the pan, Papa dumped a generous spoonful of batter right in the middle, creating a perfectly round pancake. After flipping it over, he surprisingly found himself staring at the image of a smirking face! For the first time, the twinkling, impish face of the great St. Pancake was witnessed.
That evening, the family was truly astonished to feast on what turned out to be the absolute WORST pancakes ever made by human hands. Luckily, the previous night’s dinner had been spaghetti, and there were plenty of leftovers.
But that evening, a tradition was born. And ever since, we have celebrated the gift of St. Pancake, by coming together as a family and making pancakes out of whatever wild combination of things we can find. Sometimes we even eat them.
SPD Q&A
Q: What kinds of things do you put in your pancakes on St. Pancake’s Day?
A: Glad you asked! You put in:
Apple chunks, banana hunks
Peanut butter, choco chips
Rainbow sprinkles, raisin wrinkles
Waffle cones, just the tips
Gluten-free, jelly beans
Whole wheat, dates, leafy greens
Capers, vapors, gray sardines
OJ, curds, whey, by all means!
St. Pancake’s Day! St. Pancake's Day!
A holiday between holidays!
St. Pancake’s Day! St. Pancake's Day!
New for 2020!
Strawberries, ice cream scoops
Easter candy, stale Froot Loops
Avocado, green tomato
Bacon, steak and all food groups
Q: Is there anything you shouldn’t put in pancakes, even on St. Pancake’s Day?
A: Yes! Never put in:
Legos, poison
Screws and nails
Moldy fruit or possum tails
Sister’s boogers, brother’s tears
Rusty, dusty souvenirs
Bus passes, dad’s glasses
Stinky socks, popped balloons
Swamp gasses, hourglasses
Anything from lagoons
There are definitely things you shouldn’t use
So be careful what you choose!
Q & A lyrics by Zetta Dovas and Ariel Dovas.
In the News
May 14, KTOP TV-10, “Home Alone…Together with Ariel”
We talk with Ariel Dovas about the creation of the new holiday, St. Pancake's Day and helping his young daughter find things to look forward to during the shelter in place order.
April 30, Red Tricycle, “Dad Starts New Holiday to Cheer Up Daughter”
An Oakland, CA dad needed to come up with a way to bring a smile to his daughter’s face. When all else failed, he decided to create a special holiday unique to this time.
April 25, KRON4 TV, “Oakland dad creates ‘St. Pancake’s Day’ to cheer up daughter during coronavirus pandemic”
As kids struggle being at home during the coronavirus pandemic and not being able to see their friends, one Oakland dad created a new holiday to help cheer up his daughter.
April 25, SFGate, “Oakland dad deals with daughter's sadness by starting new holiday”
He did what, well, not really any dad would do: He created his own holiday.
April 24, San Francisco Chronicle, “On the bright side”
St. Pancake’s Day: There’s something about a pancake, says an Oakland man, that has the power to vanquish things like pandemics.