Lent is a Christian-based holiday celebrated by many people all across the world. The tradition has been established for about 1,700 years and runs the course of a 40-day period occurring in the spring time. This holiday is described as a season of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. The 40-day period begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday, in order to prepare for Easter. The purpose of Lent is for believers to understand the sacrifice Jesus Christ made and to strengthen their relationship with God through methods of prayer, fasting, and charity.
Lent is not the only religious holiday happening during the spring. Much like Lent, Ramadan is a season of fasting, prayer, and reflection; both of these holidays share similar purpose and practices. The two use fasting as a way to repent and sacrifice in order to control bodily desires, spiritual growth, and self discipline. In both religious holidays, they also strengthen their bond with their community and family with shared meals and gatherings. Overall, both use these periods of fasting to amplify their devotion, discipline, and renewal as they strengthen their relationship with their family and beliefs.
The primary rules for Lent involve fasting and the abstinence from meat, primarily on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The abstinence from meat is a commitment that is also required on all Fridays that lead up to Easter. Lent is a special time of prayer, sacrifice and penance. You are meant to reflect and prepare for Easter, also known as Jesus’s resurrection, where they attend church, worship, reflect on daily life, and focus on gratitude and forgiveness. Catholics who are 14 years and older must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent, people 18–59 years old must fast (one full meal, two smaller meals, no snacks) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
During the day of Lent–Ash Wednesday–you must attend services, as a priest marks your forehead with ash as a reminder of repentance, humility and our morality. Ash is used as a way to symbolize the purification of faith as we enter the season of cleansing and fasting. Ash gained from burned Palm Sunday palms is used as a method to connect the beginning of Lent towards the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Although some are under the impression that Lent is a “Catholic-only” tradition, anyone who wishes to participate in Lent is welcome to. Lent is a season of repentance to be drawn closer to God. Many outside the Catholic religion participate in Lent, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and other Protestants.
Lent reflects the 40 days that, according to the Bible, Jesus Christ spent fasting in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry. The word “Lent” comes from the Old English word “lencten,” meaning spring. The practice has roots in the early church, with its 40-day format solidified around the Council of Nicaea in A.D 325. Lent originated in the early 4th century as a Christian-based holiday. Traditionally, in the duration of this period, it involved a strict fast of only one meal a day including no meat or dairy.
The council of Nicaea settled on the 40-day fasting period because of its biblical roots. In Genesis 7:4, God sends rain for 40 days and 40 nights while Noah and his company enter the ark. Exodus 24:18 states that God gave instructions to Moses atop Mount Sinai for 40 days. Elijah fled Jezebel by walking 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb in 1 Kings 19:8. The moment with the biggest influence is in Matthew 4:1-11 where the devil was tempting Jesus in the desert while he was fasting and praying. The exact date of Lent was not established until A.D. 601 by Pope Gregory who also brought Ash Wednesday. It was settled to be 46 days before Easter, using six Sundays as feast days.
Lent is a tradition used for self-discipline, repentance and prayer; beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday for the purpose of preparing for Easter. The purpose of fasting and abstaining from certain meats is to focus on your spiritual journey and grow your connection with Jesus Christ but also used as a way to bond with your family throughout this 40-day tradition. Lent is a time of strengthening one’s religious connection, while also serving as a period of bonding and self-acceptance.
