What is Lent? We explain the basics behind the customs of this holy season leading to Easter

USA TODAY Network Published 8:17 a.m. ET Feb. 16, 2021

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 46-day period of Lent. They’re two of the most important liturgical events for Christians and help prepare them for Easter. Wochit

What is Lent and why is it celebrated?

Lent is a 40-day season that precedes Easter in many Christian denominations. The 40-day timeframe is based on the period Jesus spent in the desert fasting while being tempted by Satan, according to the Gospel accounts in Matthew and Luke.

In Western churches, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (in 2021 falling on February 17)  and runs until Easter (this year on April 4), a period of six and a half weeks, and the Sundays are not counted as part of the 40 days. In Eastern Christianity, such as in Orthodox churches, a period called Great Lent begins on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter and concludes on the Friday before Palm Sunday, and Sundays are counted as part of the 40 days.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Christian season of Lent.

 (Photo: Joshua A. Bickel/Columbus Dispatch)

The word “Lent” is based on an Old English word that meant “springtime,” because Lent leads into spring. In many languages, the word for Lent is based on the word for 40 in Latin or Greek, and in some Germanic and Slavic languages, the name is taken from the word for fasting, which was traditionally the primary observance of this season.

Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent

In the Middle Ages, fasting during Lent often meant that only one small meal a day was eaten, and that meal did not contain any animal products. The day before Lent, as the last day of indulgence until Easter, took on a festival atmosphere and came to be known in French as Mardi Gras (which literally means “Fat Tuesday”) or in other languages as Carnival, from a medieval Latin phrase meaning “taking away the meat.”

The first day of Lent is known as Ash Wednesday. In some churches, ashes are smeared onto the forehead in the sign of a cross, but a variety of customs exist. There is also a custom for churches to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday by burning the palm leaves used on the previous year’s Palm Sunday. The custom of placing ashes on the forehead is not considered a sacrament but is often accompanied by a blessing and an admonition to remember one’s mortality. Some Christians follow the custom of not washing the ashes off the forehead until the end of the day.

The Lenten period is understood by Christians as a time for reflection and penitence, and abstaining from certain foods or activities is often undertaken. Traditionally, that meant that meat was not eaten on Fridays during Lent. Since fish was not considered to be meat for the purposes of Lent, this led to the tradition of churches holding a “fish fry” on Fridays during Lent. In many communities, gathering at a church for a fried fish meal on Friday evening is a popular Lenten activity.

Many churches hold a “fish fry” for congregants who abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent.

 (Photo: Tess Colwell/Columbus Dispatch)

Some Christians today use Lent as an opportunity to refrain from other foods, such as chocolate or alcoholic beverages, or to avoid activities deemed frivolous, like playing video games. Serious issues — such as awareness of social injustice, or stewardship of the environment — may also be deemed appropriate for examination and contemplation during Lent. In some churches, certain religious objects, like crosses, are covered during Lent, often with a purple cloth.

The devoted make the annual pilgrimage to Holy Cross – Immaculata Parish in Mt. Adams for the Praying of the Steps on Good Friday. A tradition since 1860.

Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter 

The final week of Lent in Western Christianity is known as Holy Week. It begins on Palm Sunday (in 2021 on March 28), the day that commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, in which the path traveled was strewn with palm branches, according to the Gospel. In many churches, congregants are given palms to carry in a procession.

The following Thursday is known in English as Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday (in 2021 on April 1), and it commemorates the Last Supper, or the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples. Coverings of religious objects in churches may be changed from purple cloths to white cloths for this day. Because of parallels between the Last Supper — described as a Passover meal in the Gospels — and the Jewish Seder meal held on the first night of Passover, some Christian churches now hold meals that have adopted rituals from the Seder in commemoration.

Friday is known as Good Friday (in 2021 on April 2), which recalls Jesus’ crucifixion. Black cloths may be used to cover religious objects in a church on this day, and some Christians fast by eating only one substantial meal on this day.

Lent culminates two days later with the arrival of Easter Sunday, commemorating Jesus’ resurrection. White cloths are now used to cover religious objects in those churches that practice this ritual, and the other customs of the somber Lenten season give way to the joyous mood of Easter.

For Lent observers, these burger and chicken chains are offering fish for a limited time. USA TODAY

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