Easter is a significant day on the Christian calendar. Billions of Christians look forward to Easter Sunday each year, and that anticipation is amplified by Lent.
Lent is a 40-day period preceding Easter that begins each year on Ash Wednesday. According to Campus Crusade for Christ International, also known as Cru, Lent is a time of preparation during which Christians reflect on their relationship with God and ready their hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter.
Tradition features prominently throughout the Lenten season, and the following are some of the more notable customs during this significant period preceding Easter Sunday.
• Wearing of ashes on the forehead: Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, occurring 46 days prior to Easter Sunday (Sundays are not counted among the 40 days of the Lenten season). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops traces the tradition of wearing ashes on the forehead to the Old Testament, which depicted wearing ashes as a sign of repentance for one’s sins and a sign of one’s humility before God. Ashes are most often distributed as part of Ash Wednesday Mass, and adherents to the faith wear them throughout the day.
• Avoiding meat on Fridays: Many Christians do not eat meat on Fridays during Lent. The Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis notes that canon law calls for abstinence from eating meat on all Fridays of the year, but bishops throughout the United States allow the faithful to eat meat on Fridays outside of Lent so long as they substitute another penance that is particularly meaningful to them. Avoiding meat, which all Catholics 14 and older are urged to do on Fridays throughout Lent, is to honor Jesus Christ, who the faithful believed sacrificed his flesh on Good Friday. To honor that sacrifice, Catholics do not eat flesh meat, which includes beef, pork, chicken, and turkey. Fish are not considered flesh meat, and many Catholics consume fish on Fridays throughout Lent.
• Almsgiving: Lent is often seen as a season of sacrifice, but it’s also a time for giving. Many Christians engage in almsgiving throughout Lent, and some tie it into the sacrifices they make in the name of Jesus Christ. When Christians sacrifice something during Lent, some donate the value of what they forego to the Catholic Church or a charity that gives money, food or other items to the poor. Almsgiving is a wonderful means of combining the many traditions that make the season of Lent such a special time of year for Christians across the globe.
Lent is a unique tradition and special time of year for Christians, adding to the anticipation billions have for Easter Sunday.
