This article is about the general Christian period of repentance prior to Easter. For Lent in Eastern Christianity, seeGreat Lent. For other uses, seeLent (disambiguation).
Lent
Quadragesima
High altar, barren, with few adornments, as is custom during Lent
Many Lent-observing Christians also add a Lenten spiritual discipline, such as reading adaily devotional or praying through aLenten calendar, to draw themselves near toGod.[33][34] Often observed (especially on Fridays) are theStations of the Cross, adevotional commemoration ofChrist's carrying the Cross andcrucifixion. Many churches remove flowers from their altars and veilcrucifixes, religious statues that show the triumphant Christ, and other elaborate religious symbols in violet fabrics in solemn observance of the event. Thecustom of veiling is typically practiced the last two weeks, beginning on the fifth Sunday of Lent (known asJudica Sunday orPassion Sunday) untilGood Friday, when the cross is unveiled solemnly in the liturgy.
In most Lent-observing denominations, the last week of Lent is known asHoly Week, which begins withPalm Sunday. Following the New Testament narrative, Jesus' crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, and at the beginning of the next week the joyful celebration of Easter, the start of theEaster season, which recalls theResurrection of Jesus. In some Christian denominations, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday form theEaster Triduum.[35]
The English wordLent is a shortened form of theOld English wordlencten, meaning "spring season", as itsDutch language cognatelente (Old Dutchlentin)[37] still does today. A dated term inGerman,Lenz (Old High Germanlenzo), is also related. According to theOxford English Dictionary, 'the shorter form (? Old Germanic type *laŋgito- , *laŋgiton-) seems to be a derivative of *laŋgo- long […] and may possibly have reference to the lengthening of the days as characterizing the season of spring'. The origin of the -en element is less clear: it may simply be asuffix, orlencten may originally have been a compound of *laŋgo- 'long' and an otherwise little-attested word *-tino, meaning "day".[26]
In languages spoken where Christianity was earlier established, such asGreek andLatin, the term signifies the period dating from the 40th weekday before Easter. In modern Greek the term isΣαρακοστή (Sarakostí), derived from the earlierΤεσσαρακοστή (Tessarakostí), meaning "fortieth". The corresponding word inLatin,quadragesima ("fortieth"), is the origin of the terms used in Latin-derived languages and in some others.
In other languages, the name used refers to the activity associated with the season. Thus it is called "fasting period" inCzech (postní doba),German (Fastenzeit), andNorwegian (fasten/fastetid), and it is called "The Great Fast" inArabic (الصوم الكبير –al-ṣawm al-kabīr),Syriac (ܨܘܡܐ ܪܒܐṣawmā rabbā),Polish (wielki post),Russian (великий пост –vieliki post),Ukrainian (великий піст –velyky pist), andHungarian (nagyböjt).Romanian, apart from a version based on the Latin term referring to the 40 days (see above), also has a "great fast" version:postul mare.Dutch has three options, one of which meansfasting period, and the other two referring to the 40-day period indicated in the Latin term:vastentijd,veertigdagentijd andquadragesima, respectively.[1] In India, it is called चरम चालीसा (Charam Chalisa - meaning, "climax forty"). InMaltese, despite being a descendant of Arabic, the termRandan is used, which is distinctive when compared to the dialects of Arabic. Despite the centuries ofCatholic influences, the term remains unchanged since theArab occupation of Malta.
The pattern of fasting and praying for 40 days is seen in theChristian Bible, on which basis the liturgical season of Lent was established.[14][38] In theOld Testament, the prophetMoses went into the mountains for 40 days and 40 nights to pray and fast "without eating bread or drinking water" before receiving theTen Commandments (cf.Exodus 34:28).[38] Likewise, the prophetElijah went into the mountains for 40 days and nights to fast and pray "until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God" when "the word of the Lord came to him" (cf.1 Kings 19:8–9).[38] The early Christian bishopMaximus of Turin wrote that as Elijah by "fasting continuously for a period of forty days and forty nights...merited to extinguish the prolonged and severe dryness of the whole world, doing so with a stream of rain and steeping the earth's dryness with the bounty of water from heaven", in the Christian tradition, this is interpreted as being "a figure of ourselves so that we, also fasting a total of forty days, might merit the spiritual rain of baptism...[and] a shower from heaven might pour down upon the dry earth of the whole world, and the abundant waters of the saving bath might saturate the lengthy drought of the Gentiles."[15] In theNew Testament,Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray for 40 days and 40 nights; it was during this time thatSatan tried totempt him (cf.Matthew 4:1–3).[38] The 40-day and night fasts of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus prepared them for their work.[14]
Early Christianity records the tradition of fasting before Easter.[39] For the meal of the day consumed after sunset (when the fast is broken), theApostolic Constitutions permit the consumption of "bread, vegetables, salt and water, in Lent" with "flesh and wine being forbidden."[39] TheCanons of Hippolytus authorize only bread and salt to be consumed duringHoly Week.[39] The practice of fasting and abstaining from alcohol, meat andlacticinia during Lent thus became established in the Church.[39]
In AD 339,Athanasius of Alexandria wrote that the Lenten fast was a 40-day fast that "the entire world" observed.[40]Saint Augustine of Hippo (AD 354–AD 430) wrote that: "Our fast at any other time is voluntary; but during Lent, wesin if we do not fast."[41] Church FatherJohn Chrysostom (A.D. 347–407) stated that the early Christians did not consume meat for the whole duration of Lent.[39]
Three main prevailing theories exist on the finalization of Lent as a 40-day fast prior to the arrival of Easter Sunday: First, that it was created at theCouncil of Nicea in 325 and there is no earlier incarnation. Second, that it is based on anEgyptian Christian post-theophany fast. Third, a combination of originssyncretized around the Council of Nicea.[42] There are early references to periods of fasting prior tobaptism. For instance, theDidache, a 1st or 2nd-century Christian text, commends "the baptizer, the one to be baptized, and any others that are able" to fast to prepare for the sacrament.[43]
For centuries it has been common practice for baptisms to take place on Easter, and so such references were formerly taken to be references to a pre-Easter fast.Tertullian, in his 3rd-century workOn Baptism, indicates that Easter was a "most solemn day for baptism." However, he is one of only a handful of writers in theante-Nicene period who indicates this preference, and even he says that Easter was by no means the only favored day for baptisms in his locale.[44]
Since the 20th century, scholars have acknowledged that Easter was not the standard day for baptisms in the early church, and references to pre-baptismal periods of fasting were not necessarily connected with Easter. There were shorter periods of fasting observed in the pre-Nicene church (Athanasius noted that the 4th-century Alexandrian church observed a period of fasting before Pascha [Easter]).[42] However it is known that the 40-day period of fasting – the season later named Lent – beforeEastertide was clarified at the Nicene Council.[45] In 363-64 AD, theCouncil of Laodicea prescribed the Lenten fast as "of strict necessity".[40]
Some named days and day ranges around Lent and Easter in Western Christianity, with the fasting days of Lent numbered
The 40 days of Lent are calculated differently among the variousChristian denominations that observe it, depending on how thedate of Easter is calculated, but also on which days Lent is understood to begin and end, and on whether all the days of Lent are counted consecutively. Additionally, the date of Lent may depend on the calendar used by the particular church, such as the (revised)Julian orGregorian calendars typically used by Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, andProtestant churches, or theEthiopian andCoptic calendars traditionally used by some Oriental Orthodox churches.
Since 1970, in theRoman Rite Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on the evening ofHoly Thursday with theMass of the Lord's Supper. This comprises a period of 44 days. Historically, the fasting and abstinence were enjoined during the weekdays of Lent and with Sundays being days of abstinence;[20] the obligations of the Lenten fast continue through Good Friday and Holy Saturday, totaling 40 days (with theEucharistic Fast applying as well).[46][47] Although Lent formally ends on Holy Thursday, Lenten fasting practices continue until the Easter Vigil and additionally, the celebration of Easter is preceded by the Paschal fast.[19][48]
In theAmbrosian Rite, Lent begins on the Sunday that follows what is celebrated as Ash Wednesday in the rest of theLatin Catholic Church, and ends as in the Roman Rite, thus being of 40 days, counting the Sundays but not Holy Thursday. The day for beginning the Lenten fast in the Ambrosian Rite is the Monday after Ash Wednesday. The special Ash Wednesday fast is transferred to the first Friday of the Ambrosian Lent. Until this rite was revised by SaintCharles Borromeo, the liturgy of the First Sunday of Lent was festive, celebrated in whitevestments with chanting of theGloria in Excelsis andAlleluia, in line with the recommendation in Matthew 6:16, "When you fast, do not look gloomy."[49][50][51]
During Lent, the Church discourages marriages, but couples may marry if they forgo the special blessings of the Nuptial Mass and limit social celebrations.[52]
In Western traditions, theliturgical colour of the season of Lent is violet. Altar crosses and religious statuary which show Christ in his glory are traditionally veiled during this period in the Christian year.
In Protestant and Western Orthodox Churches that celebrate it, the season of Lent lasts fromAsh Wednesday to the evening ofHoly Saturday.[6][53] This calculation makes Lent last 46 days if the 6 Sundays are included, but only 40 days if they are excluded.[54] This definition is still that of theMoravian Church,[55]Lutheran Church,[56]Anglican Church,[57]Methodist Church,[18]Western Rite Orthodox Church,[58]United Protestant Churches,[59] and those of theReformed Churches (i.e.,Continental Reformed,Presbyterian, andCongregationalist) that observe Lent.[60][61] (In the Episcopal Church, the main U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer identifies Holy Week--comprising Palm/Passion Sunday through Holy Saturday--as a separate season after Lent;[62] but the Days of Special Devotion, to be observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial, include the weekdays of, but not the Sundays in, both Lent and Holy Week,[63] so the practical effect is the same as the traditional 40-day calculation.)
In theByzantine Rite, i.e., theEastern OrthodoxGreat Lent (Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, meaning "Great 40 Days" and "Great Fast" respectively) is the most important fasting season in the church year.[64]
The 40 days of Great Lent include Sundays, and begin onClean Monday. The 40 days are immediately followed by what are considered distinct periods of fasting,Lazarus Saturday andPalm Sunday, which in turn are followed straightway byHoly Week. Great Lent is broken only after the Paschal (Easter) Divine Liturgy.
The Eastern Orthodox Church maintains the traditional Church's teaching on fasting. The rules for lenten fasting are the monastic rules. Fasting in the Orthodox Church is more than simply abstaining from certain foods. During the Great Lent Orthodox Faithful intensify their prayers and spiritual exercises, go to church services more often, study the Scriptures and the works of theChurch Fathers in depth, limit their entertainment and spendings and focus on charity and good works.
the Paschal fast duringHoly Week which immediately follows Lent
As in the Eastern Orthodox Churches, thedate of Easter is typically reckoned according to theJulian calendar, and usually occurs later than Easter according toGregorian calendar used by Catholic and Protestant Churches.
In Ethiopian Orthodoxy, fasting (tsome) lasts for 55 continuous days before Easter (Fasika), although the fast is divided into three separate periods: Tsome Hirkal, the eight-day Fast ofHeraclius, commemorating the fast requested by theByzantine EmperorHeraclius before he reputedly set out to fight theSassanian Empire and recover theTrue Cross which had been seized and taken from Jerusalem; Tsome Arba, 40 days of Lent; and Tsome Himamat, seven days commemoratingHoly Week.[65][66][67] Fasting involves abstention from animal products (meat, dairy, and eggs), and refraining from eating or drinking before 3:00 pm.[65] Ethiopian devotees may also abstain from sexual activity and the consumption of alcohol.[65]
The pre-Lenten period concludes with the opportunity for a last round of merrymaking, known asCarnival,Shrovetide, orFastelavn, before the start of the sombre Lenten season. The traditions of carrying Shrovetide rods and consuming Shrovetide buns after attending church is celebrated.[70][71]
On the final day of the season,Shrove Tuesday orMardi Gras, many traditional Christians, such asCatholics,Lutherans,Anglicans, andMethodists "make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with."[72][73] During Shrovetide, many churches place a basket in thenarthex to collect the previous year'sHoly Week palm branches that were blessed and distributed during thePalm Sunday liturgies; on Shrove Tuesday, churches burn thesepalms to make the ashes used during the services held on the very next day, Ash Wednesday.[74]
In historicallyLutheran nations, Shrovetide is known asFastelavn. After attending theMass onShrove Sunday, congregants enjoy Shrovetide buns (fastelavnsboller), "round sweet buns that are covered with icing and filled with cream and/or jam."[70] Children often dress up and collect money from people while singing.[70] They also practice the tradition of hitting a barrel, which represents fighting Satan; after doing this, children enjoy the sweets inside the barrel.[70] Lutheran Christians in these nations carry Shrovetide rods (fastelavnsris), which "branches decorated with sweets, little presents, etc., that are used to decorate the home or give to children."[70]
In English-speaking countries such as theUnited Kingdom andCanada, the day before Lent is known as Shrove Tuesday, which is derived from the wordshrive, meaning "to administer the sacrament ofconfession to; to absolve."[75] In these countries,pancakes are associated with Shrove Tuesday because they are a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar – rich foods which are not eaten during the season.[76]
In stark contrast to traditions of merrymaking and feasting, Oriental Orthodox Churches practice a pre-Lenten fast in preparation for Lent which is immediately followed by the fast of Great Lent without interruption.
There are traditionally 40 days in Lent; these are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts ofpenance. Fasting is maintained for all 40 days of Lent (regardless of how they are enumerated; seeabove). Historically, fasting and abstinence have been maintained continuously for the weekdays of the whole Lenten season, with Sundays being days of abstinence only.[20] The making of aLenten sacrifice, in which Christians give up a personal pleasure for the duration of 40 days, is a traditional practice during Lent.[77]
DuringShrovetide and especially onShrove Tuesday, the day before the start of the Lenten season, many Christians finalize their decision with respect to whatLenten sacrifices they will make for Lent.[69] Examples include practicingvegetarianism andteetotalism during Lent as a Lenten sacrifice.[78][79] While making a Lenten sacrifice, it is customary topray for strength to keep it; many often wish others for doing so as well, e.g. "May God bless your Lenten sacrifice."[80] In addition, some believers add a regular spiritual discipline, to bring them closer to God, such as reading a Lentendaily devotional.[33]
For Catholics, Lutherans, Moravians, Anglicans, United Protestants, and Lent-observing Methodists and Reformed Christians, the Lenten penitential season ends after theEaster VigilMass orSunrise service. Orthodox Christians also break their fast after thePaschal Vigil, a service which starts around 11:00 pm on Holy Saturday, and which includes the Paschal celebration of theDivine Liturgy of St.John Chrysostom. At the end of the service, the priest blesses cheese, eggs, flesh meats, and other items that the faithful have been abstaining from for the duration of Great Lent.
Lenten traditions and liturgical practices are less common, less binding, and sometimes non-existent among someliberal andprogressive Christians.[81] A greater emphasis on anticipation ofEaster Sunday is often encouraged more than the penitence of Lent or Holy Week.[82]
Some Christians as well assecular groups also interpret the Lenten fast in a positive tone, not as renunciation but as contributing to causes such as environmental stewardship and improvement of health.[83][84] Even someatheists find value in the Christian tradition and observe Lent.[85]
Historically, using the early Christian form known as theBlack Fast, the observant does not consume food for a whole day until the evening, and at sunset, Christians traditionally break the Lenten fast of that day with avegetarian supper (no food or drink is consumed in a day apart from that in theLenten supper).[31][86][29][30] InIndia andPakistan, many Christians continue this practice of fasting until sunset onAsh Wednesday andGood Friday, with many fasting in this manner throughout the whole season of Lent.[87][88]
Christians of various traditions, including Catholics and Methodists, have voluntarily undertaken theDaniel Fast during the season of Lent, in which one abstains from "meat, fish, egg, dairy products, chocolates, ice creams, sugar, sweets, wine or any alcoholic beverages" (cf.Daniel 10:3).[89][90][91]
After attending a worship service (often on Wednesday and Friday evenings), it is common for Christians of various denominations to conclude that day's Lenten fast together through a communalLenten supper, which may be held in the church'sparish hall. Lenten suppers ordinarily take place in the home setting during the 40 days of Lent during which a family (or individual) concludes that day's fast after amealtime prayer.[92]
Lenten suppers often consist of a vegetarian soup, bread, and water in order to maintain the season's focus on abstinence, sacrifice, and simplicity.
Fasting has historically included abstinence from alcohol, meat,lacticinia (dairy products), and other edible produce derived from animals (such as eggs), which has been enjoined continuously for the whole duration of the season including Sundays.[93][39] Church FatherJohn Chrysostom stated that the early Christians did not consume meat for the whole duration of Lent.[39] ThroughoutChristendom, some adherents continue to mark the season with a traditional abstention from the consumption of meat (vegetarianism), most notably among Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans.[94][95] The form of abstention may vary depending on what is customary; some abstain from meat for 40 days, some do so only on Fridays, or some only on Good Friday itself.[94][32]
In Catholicism, lacticinia may be consumed by penitents in Spain and its colonised territories, per a pontifical decree ofPope Alexander VI. Until 1741, meat and lacticinia were otherwise forbidden for the whole season of Lent, including Sundays. In that year,Pope Benedict XIV allowed for the consumption of meat and lacticinia during certain fasting days of Lent.[96]
Abstinence from alcohol during the season of Lent has traditionally been enjoined "in remembrance of the Sacred Thirst of Our Lord on the Cross."[39][97][98]
Dispensations for the allowance of certain foods have been given throughout history, depending on the climate in that part of the world. For example,Giraldus Cambrensis, in hisItinerary ofArchbishop Baldwin through Wales, reports that "inGermany and the arctic regions", "great and religious persons" eat the tail ofbeavers as "fish" because of its superficial resemblance to "both the taste and colour of fish." The animal was very abundant in Wales at the time.[99]Saint Thomas Aquinas allowed for the consumption of sweetened foods during Lent, because "sugared spices", such ascomfits, were, in his opinion, digestive aids on par with medicine rather than food.[100]
Fasting practices are considerably relaxed in Western societies today, though in the Eastern Orthodox,Oriental Orthodox,Eastern Catholic, andEastern Lutheran Churches abstinence from all animal products including eggs, fish, fowl, and milk is still commonly practiced, so that, where this is observed, only vegetarian (orvegan) meals are consumed for the whole of Lent, 48 days in theByzantine Rite. TheEthiopian Orthodox Church's practices require a fasting period that is a great deal longer, and there is some dispute over whether fish consumption is permissible.
In the traditions of Lent-observing Western Christian churches, abstinence from eating some form of food (generally meat, but not dairy or fish products) is distinguished from fasting. In principle, abstinence is to be observed in Western Christianity on Ash Wednesday and on every Friday of the year that is not asolemnity (a liturgical feast day of the highest rank); but in each country theepiscopal conference can determine the form it is to take, perhaps replacing abstinence with other forms of penance.[101][102][103]
In Western Christianity, through theMiddle Ages, Christians abstained from sexual relations during the whole of Lent.[105] In view of this, nine months after Lent, birth records were drastically low.[106] In Spain, according to researchers from theUniversity of Valencia and theUniversity of Alcalà, the custom of abstaining from sexual relations was widely practiced until the end of theFranco régime, though some Western Christians voluntarily continue this practice today.[107]
Specific fasting traditions by Christian denomination
Prior to 1966, the Catholic Church allowed Catholics of fasting age to eat only one full meal a day throughout all forty days of Lent, except on the Lord's Day. Catholics were allowed to take a smaller meal, called acollation, which was introduced after the 14th century A.D., and a cup of some beverage, accompanied by a little bread, in the morning.[108] The1917 Code of Canon Law allowed the full meal on a fasting day to be taken at any hour and to be supplemented by two collations, with the quantity and the quality of the food to be determined by local custom. Abstinence from meat was to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays and Saturdays in Lent.[109]
The Lenten fast ended onHoly Saturday at noon. Only those aged 21 to 59 were obliged to fast. As with all ecclesiastical laws, particular difficulties, such as strenuous work or illness, excused one from observance, and a dispensation from the law could be granted by a bishop or parish priest.[110] A rule of thumb is that the two collations should not add up to the equivalent of another full meal. Rather portions were to be: "sufficient to sustain strength, but not sufficient to satisfy hunger."[111]
In 1966,Pope Paul VI reduced the obligatory fasting days from all forty days of Lent to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, abstinence days to Fridays and Ash Wednesday, and allowedepiscopal conferences to replace abstinence and fasting with other forms of penitence such as charity and piety, as declared and established in hisapostolic constitutionPaenitemini; fasting on all forty days of Lent is still "strongly recommended", though not under pain of mortal sin.[112] This was done so that those in countries where the standard of living is lower can replace fasting with prayer, but "…where economic well-being is greater, so much more will the witness of asceticism have to be given…"[113]
This was made part of the1983 Code of Canon Law, which made obligatory fasting for those aged between 18 and 59, and abstinence for those aged 14 and upward.[101] TheIrish Catholic Bishops' Conference decided to allow other forms of Friday penance to replace that of abstinence from meat, whether in Lent or outside Lent, suggesting alternatives such as abstaining from some other food, or from alcohol or smoking; making a special effort at participating in family prayer or in Mass; making theStations of the Cross; or helping the poor, sick, old, or lonely.[114]
TheCongregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI), aSedevacantist Catholic congregation, requires fasting for its members on all of the forty days of the Christian season of repentance, Lent (except on theLord's Day). The CMRI mandates under the pain of grave sin, abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and all Fridays of the year in general.[119]
Even during Lent, the rule about solemnities holds, so that the obligation of Friday abstinence does not apply on 19 and 25 March when, as usually happens, the solemnities ofSaint Joseph and theAnnunciation are celebrated on those dates. The same applies toSaint Patrick's Day, which is a solemnity in the whole of Ireland as well as in dioceses that haveSaint Patrick as their principalpatron saint. In some other places, too, where there are strong Irish traditions within the Catholic community, a dispensation is granted for that day.[120] InHong Kong, where Ash Wednesday often coincides withChinese New Year celebrations, a dispensation is then granted from the laws of fast and abstinence, and the faithful are exhorted to use some other form of penance.[121]
Following the birth of Lutheranism in theProtestant Reformation, Lutheran church orders in the 16th century "retained the observation of the Lenten fast, and Lutherans have observed this season with a serene, earnest attitude."[122] ManyLutheran churches advocate fasting during Lent,[27][123] especially on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.[124][27][125][126]A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent published by theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America, amainline Lutheran denomination, offers a number of guidelines for fasting, abstinence, and other forms of self-denial during Lent:[94]
Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with only one simple meal during the day, usually without meat.
Refrain from eating meat (bloody foods) on all Fridays in Lent, substituting fish for example.
Eliminate a food or food group for the entire season. Especially consider saving rich and fatty foods for Easter.
Consider not eating before receiving Communion in Lent.
Abstain from or limit a favorite activity (television, movies etc.) for the entire season, and spend more time in prayer, Bible study, and reading devotional material.
Don't just give up something that you have to give up for your doctor or diet anyway. Make your fast a voluntary self-denial (i.e. discipline) that you offer to God in prayer.[94]
TheLutheran Church–Missouri Synod, aconfessional Lutheran denomination, likewise encourages (but does not require) members to give things up for Lent, while emphasizing that the purpose of Lent is repentance from sin rather than minor acts of self-denial in themselves.[127][128]
Members of theMoravian Church voluntarily fast during the season of Lent, along with making aLenten sacrifice for the season as a form of penitence.[129]
John Calvin, the principal figure in the development of Reformed theology, critiqued the practice of Lent in hisInstitutes of the Christian Religion as a "superstitious observance," and observed that "Christ did not fast repeatedly (which he must have done had he meant to lay down a law for an anniversary fast), but once only, when preparing for the promulgation of the gospel."[130] Similarly, leading Reformed divines such asSamuel Rutherford rejected the obligation of Lent.[131]
Some churches in the Reformed tradition observe Lent today.[26] For example, theReformed Church in America, a Mainline Protestant denomination, describes the first day of Lent,Ash Wednesday, as a day "focused on prayer, fasting, and repentance," encouraging members to "observe a Holy Lent, by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by practicing works of love, and by reading and reflecting on God's Holy Word."[134]Among Reformed Christians who do observe Lent,Good Friday, which is towards the end of the Lenten season, is an important day of communal fasting, as it is for many Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Methodists.[135]
TheBook of Common Prayer (1662) of theChurch of England designates "All the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas Day" as days of fasting and abstinence, alongside the forty days of Lent, theEmber Days, theRogation Days, and the vigils of feast days.[136]Saint Augustine's Prayer Book, a companion to theBook of Common Prayer, states that fasting is "usually meaning not more than a light breakfast, one full meal, and one half meal, on the forty days of Lent."[95] It further states that "the major Fast Days of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as the American Prayer-Book indicates, are stricter in obligation, though not in observance, than the other Fast Days, and therefore should not be neglected except in cases of serious illness or other necessity of an absolute character."[137]
The historic Methodist homilies regarding theSermon on the Mount stress the importance of the Lenten fast, which begins on Ash Wednesday.[138] TheUnited Methodist Church therefore states that:
There is a strong biblical base for fasting, particularly during the 40 days of Lent leading to the celebration of Easter. Jesus, as part of his spiritual preparation, went into the wilderness and fasted 40 days and 40 nights, according to the Gospels.[139]
Good Friday, which is towards the end of the Lenten season, is traditionally an important day of communal fasting for Methodists.[135] Rev. Jacqui King, the minister of Nu Faith Community United Methodist Church in Houston explained the philosophy of fasting during Lent as "I'm not skipping a meal because in place of that meal I'm actually dining with God."[140]
The United Methodist Church teaches, in reference to one'sLenten sacrifice, that "On each Lord's Day in Lent, while Lenten fasts continue, the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection."[141]
The liturgical bookThe Sunday Service of the Methodists (put together byJohn Wesley), as well as the Directions Given to Band Societies (25 December 1744), mandate fasting and abstinence from meat on all Fridays of the year (except Christmas Day, if it falls on a Friday).[142][143]
The season of Lent begins onAsh Wednesday, most notably by the public imposition of ashes. In this photograph, a woman receives a cross of ashes on Ash Wednesday outside an Anglican church.A Lutheran pastor distributes ashes during theDivine Service on Ash Wednesday.
God sent 40 days and nights of rain in the great flood ofNoah[146]
The Hebrew people wandered 40 years in the desert while traveling to thePromised Land[147]
Jonah's prophecy ofjudgment gave 40 days to the city ofNineveh in which to repent or be destroyed[148]
Jesus retreated into the wilderness, where He fasted for 40 days, and wastempted by thedevil.[149] He overcame all three of Satan'stemptations by citing scripture to the devil, at which point the devil left him, angels ministered to Jesus, and He began Hisministry. Jesus further said that His disciples should fast "when the bridegroom shall be taken from them",[150] a reference to his Passion.
It is the traditional belief that Jesus lay for 40 hours in the tomb,[50] which led to the 40 hours of total fasting that preceded the Easter celebration in theearly Church[151] (the biblical reference to 'three days in the tomb' is understood by them asspanning three days, from Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning, rather than three 24-hour periods of time). Some Christian denominations, such as The Way International and Logos Apostolic Church of God,[152] as well asAnglican scholarE. W. Bullinger inThe Companion Bible, believe Christ was in the grave for a total of 72 hours, reflecting thetype of Jonah in the belly of the whale.[153]
One of the most important ceremonies at Easter is thebaptism of the initiates on Easter Eve. The fast was initially undertaken by thecatechumens to prepare them for the reception of thissacrament. Later, the period of fasting fromGood Friday until Easter Day was extended to six days, to correspond with the six weeks of training necessary to give the final instruction to thoseconverts who were to be baptized.[citation needed]
Converts to Christianity followed a strictcatechumenate or period of instruction and discipline prior to receiving thesacrament ofbaptism, sometimes lasting up to three years.[154] InJerusalem near the close of the fourth century, classes were held throughout Lent for three hours each day. With the legalization of Christianity (by theEdict of Milan) and its later imposition as thestate religion of theRoman Empire, its character was endangered by the great influx of new members. In response, the Lenten fast and practices ofself-renunciation were required annually of all Christians, both to show solidarity with the catechumens, and for their own spiritual benefit.[citation needed]
Almsgiving is one of the three pillars of Lent.[23] The money that would normally go towards a luxury (given up as aLenten sacrifice during Lent), is donated at church as anoffering towards helping the poor.[155]
A common practice is the singing of theStabat Mater hymn in designated groups. AmongFilipino Catholics, the recitation of the epic of Christ' passion, calledPasiong Mahal, is also observed. In many Christian countries, grand religious processions and cultural customs are observed,[156] such as theStations of the Cross.[157] A custom ofvisiting seven churches during Holy Week to pray the Stations of the Cross and praying at each church, exists and has been done in an ecumenical context, involving Christians of the Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal andSalvationist traditions, among others.[158]
The LutheranDivine Service, the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, the Anglican Churches, and the Presbyterian service of worship associate theAlleluia with joy and omit it entirely throughout Lent,[162][163] not only at Mass but also in thecanonical hours and outside the liturgy. The word "Alleluia" at the beginning and end of the Acclamation Before theGospel at Mass is replaced by another phrase.
Before 1970, the omission began withSeptuagesima, and the whole Acclamation was omitted and was replaced by aTract; and in theLiturgy of the Hours the word "Alleluia", normally added to theGloria Patri at the beginning of each Hour – now simply omitted during Lent – was replaced by the phraseLaus tibi, Domine, rex aeternae gloriae (Praise to you, O Lord, king of eternal glory).
Until theAmbrosian Rite was revised by SaintCharles Borromeo the liturgy of the First Sunday of Lent was festive, celebrated with chanting of the Gloria and Alleluia, in line with the recommendation in Matthew 6:16, "When you fast, do not look gloomy."[49][50][51]
In theByzantine Rite, the Gloria (Great Doxology) continues to be used in its normal place in theMatins service, and the Alleluia appears all the more frequently, replacing "God is the Lord" at Matins.
A Methodist ministerprostrates at the start of theGood Friday liturgy at Holy Family Church, in accordance with the rubrics in theBook of Worship. Theprocessional cross is veiled in black, the liturgical colour associated with Good Friday in Methodist Churches.Statues and icons veiled in violet shrouds forPassiontide inSt Pancras Church, Ipswich, EnglandAcrucifix on the high altar is veiled for Lent. Saint Martin's parish,Württemberg, Germany
In certain majority-Christian states, in which liturgical forms of Christianity predominate, religious objects were traditionally veiled for the entire 40 days of Lent. Though perhaps uncommon[citation needed] in the United States of America,[relevant?] this practice is consistently observed inGoa, Malta, Peru, the Philippines (the latter only for the entire duration of Holy Week, with the exception of processional images), and in the Spanish cities:Barcelona,Málaga, andSeville. In Ireland, beforeVatican II, when impoverished rural Catholic convents and parishes could not afford purple fabrics, they resorted to either removing the statues altogether or, if too heavy or bothersome, turned the statues to face the wall. As is popular custom, the 14Stations of the Cross plaques on the walls are not veiled.
Crosses were often adorned with jewels and gemstones, the form referred to asCrux Gemmata. To keep the faithful from adoring elaborately-ornamented crucifixes, churches began veiling them in purple fabrics. The violet colour later came to symbolize penance and mourning.
Further liturgical changes in modernity reduced such observances to the last week ofPassiontide. In parishes that could afford only small quantities of violet fabrics, only the heads of the statues were veiled. If no violet fabrics could be afforded at all, then the religious statues and images were turned around facing the wall. Flowers were removed as a sign of solemn mourning.
In thepre-1992 Methodist liturgy and pre-1970 forms of the Roman Rite, the last two weeks of Lent are known asPassiontide, a period beginning on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, which in the 1962 edition of theRoman Missal is called the First Sunday in Passiontide and in earlier editions Passion Sunday. All statues (and in England paintings as well) in the church were traditionally veiled in violet. This was seen as in keeping with John 8:46–59, the Gospel of that Sunday, in which Jesus "hid himself" from the people.
Within many churches in the United States of America, after the Second Vatican Council, the need to veil statues or crosses became increasingly irrelevant and was deemed unnecessary by somediocesan bishops. As a result, the veils were removed at the singing of theGloria in Excelsis Deo during the Easter Vigil. In 1970, the name "Passiontide" was dropped, although the last two weeks are markedly different from the rest of the season, and continuance of the tradition of veiling images is left to the discretion of a country's conference of bishops or even to individual parishes as pastors may wish.
OnGood Friday, the Anglican, Lutheran, and Methodist churches traditionally veiled "all pictures, statutes, and the cross are covered in mourning black", while "the chancel and altar coverings are replaced with black, and altar candles are extinguished." The fabrics are then "replaced with white onsunrise onEaster Sunday."[164]
Thechancel of aLutheran church decorated with redparaments, the liturgical colour of the last week of Lent,Holy Week, in the Lutheran and Anglican Churches[165]
In the Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and many Anglican churches, pastors and priests wear violet vestments during the season of Lent.[166][167] Catholic priests wear white vestments on solemnity days for St. Joseph (March 19) and the Annunciation (March 25), although these solemnities are transferred to another date if they fall on a Sunday during Lent or at any time during Holy Week. On the fourth Sunday of Lent, rose-coloured (pink) vestments may be worn in lieu of violet. Historically, black was also used:Pope Innocent III declared black to be the proper color for Lent, thoughDurandus of Saint-Pourçain asserted violet was preferable to black.[168]
In some Anglican churches, a type of unbleached linen or muslin known as "Lenten array" is worn during the first three weeks of Lent, crimson is worn during Passiontide, and on holy days, the colour proper to the day is worn.[169] In certain other Anglican churches, as an alternative to violet for all of Lent except Holy Week and red beginning on Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday, Lenten array, typically made of sackcloth such as burlap and trimmed with crimson cloth, often velvet, is worn, even during Holy Week—since the sackcloth represents penance and the crimson edges represent the Passion of Christ. Even the veils that cover the altar crosses or crucifixes and statuary (if any) are made of the same sackcloth with the crimson trim.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent inWestern Christianity, such as theRoman Rite of the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Churches, and Methodist Churches. However, in theAmbrosian Rite and theMozarabic Rite, there is no Ash Wednesday: Lent begins on the first Sunday and the fast begins on the first Monday.
Lenten Sundays
The first Sunday in Lent marks one of the weeks during whichEmber days are observed in Western Christian churches.
The fourth Sunday in Lent, which marks the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, is referred to asLaetare Sunday by Catholics, Anglicans, and many other Christians, because of the traditional Entrance Antiphon of the Mass. Due to the more "joyful" character of the day (sincelaetare in Latin means "rejoice"), the priest, deacon, and subdeacon have the option of wearing vestments of a rose colour (pink) instead of violet.
Additionally, the fourth Lenten Sunday,Mothering Sunday, which has become known as Mother's Day in the United Kingdom and an occasion for honouring mothers of children, has its origin in a 16th-century celebration of theMother Church.
The fourth Sunday of Lent has also been called "Rose Sunday"; on this day thePope blesses theGolden Rose, a jewel in the shape of a rose.
The fifth Sunday in Lent, also known in some denominations asPassion Sunday (and in some denominations also applies toPalm Sunday) marks the beginning ofPassiontide.
The sixth Sunday in Lent, commonly calledPalm Sunday, marks the beginning ofHoly Week, the final week of Lent immediately preceding Easter.
The Sundays in Lent carry Latin names in GermanLutheranism, derived from the beginning of the Sunday'sintroit. The first is called Invocabit, the second Reminiscere, the third Oculi, the fourthLaetare, the fifth Judica, the sixthPalm Sunday.
Thursday of Holy Week is known asMaundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, and is a day Christians commemorate theLast Supper shared by Christ with hisdisciples.
The next day isGood Friday, which begins the Easter Triduum; on this day Christians remember Jesus'crucifixion, death, and burial.
In the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Old Catholic, and many other traditions, theEaster Triduum is a three-day event that begins Maundy Thursday evening, with the entrance hymn of the Mass of the Lord's Supper. After this celebration, the consecratedHosts are taken solemnly from the altar to a place of reposition, where the faithful are invited to meditate in the presence of the consecrated Hosts.This is the Church's response to Jesus' question to the disciples sleeping in theGarden of Gethsemane, "Could you not watch with me one hour?" On the next day, the liturgical commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ is celebrated at 3 pm, unless a later time is chosen due to work schedules.
This service consists of readings from theScriptures, especiallyJohn the Evangelist's account of thePassion of Jesus, followed by prayers, veneration of the cross of Jesus, and a communion service at which the hosts consecrated at the evening Mass of the day before are distributed. TheEaster Vigil during the night between Holy Saturday afternoon and Easter Sunday morning starts with the blessing of a fire and a special candle, and with readings from Scripture associated withbaptism. Then, theGloria in Excelsis Deo is sung, water is blessed, baptism andconfirmation of adults may take place, the people are invited to renew the promises of their own baptism, and finally, Mass is celebrated in the usual way from the Preparation of the Gifts onwards.
Holy Week and the season of Lent, depending ondenomination and localcustom, end with Easter Vigil at sundown on Holy Saturday or on the morning of Easter Sunday. It is custom for some churches to hold sunrise services which include open air celebrations in some places.
In theUnited States, popular Catholic Prayer and Meditation App, Hallow, runs prayer events throughout Lent with the current, #Pray40 2025 edition having over 1,000,000 praying together through Lent.[175]
Easter cycle – Part of the Christian liturgical year
Alleluia, dulce carmen – is a medieval Latin hymn sung during the week before Septuagesima as a preparation to the dismissal of the AlleluiaPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
Prayer before a crucifix – traditional Catholic prayerPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback - Prayer to Jesus which allows to obtain, when recited on the Fridays of Lent and under the prescribed conditions, a plenary indulgence.
^Comparative Religion For Dummies.For Dummies. 2011.ISBN978-1118052273. Retrieved8 March 2011.This is the day Lent begins. Christians go to church to pray and have a cross drawn in yellow in ashes on their foreheads. The ashes drawn on ancient tradition represent repentance before God. The holiday is part of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopalian [Anglican] liturgies, among others.
^Mennonite Stew – A Glossary: Lent. Third Way Café. Archived fromthe original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved24 February 2012.Traditionally, Lent was not observed by the Mennonite church, and only recently have more modern Mennonite churches started to focus on the six-week season preceding Easter.
^Benedict, Philip (2014).Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism. Yale University Press. p. 506.ISBN978-0300105070.
^"Question & Answer: Should we Observe Lent?". Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Retrieved10 April 2022.Those inheriting a Reformed theology (which would include the OPC) have adopted the stance that the church is only to practice in worship what the Bible actually establishes, often called the 'regulative principle of worship.' Many in the Reformed tradition would exclude the practice of Lent on this basis—it lacks scriptural warrant.
^Moore, Scott (2008). "The Predicament and the Promise for Young Baptist Scholars". In Ward, Roger; Gushee, David (eds.).The Scholarly Vocation and the Baptist Academy: Essays on the Future of Baptist Higher Education. Mercer University Press, Inc. p. 143.In most Baptist churches, Lent is non-existent, and Advent is merely the 'pre-Christmas' wind-up.
^abcHynes, Mary Ellen (1993).Companion to the Calendar: A Guide to the Saints and Mysteries of the Christian Calendar. Liturgy Training Publications. p. 12.ISBN978-1-56854-011-5.
^abJohnson, Lawrence J. (14 July 2017).Worship in the Early Church: Volume 3: An Anthology of Historical Sources. Liturgical Press.ISBN978-0-8146-6328-8.
^George Leo Haydock (2015).The New Testament. Aeterna Press.To fast 40 days without being hungry, was certainly far above the strength of man, but to be hungry at any time is inconsistent with God; for which reason our blessed Saviour, that he might not manifestly declare his divinity, was afterwards hungry. S. Hil. -- On this example, as well as that of Moses and Elias, who also fasted 40 days, the fast of Lent was instituted by the apostles, and is of necessity to be observed according to the general consent of the ancient Fathers. S. Jerom (ep. liv. ad Marcel.) says, we fast 40 days, or make one Lent in a year, according to the tradition of the apostles.
^abAkin, Jimmy (1996)."All About Lent".EWTN. Archived fromthe original on 21 October 2004.Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday). [This traditional ennumeration does not precisely coincide with the calendar according to the liturgical reform. In order to give special prominence to the Sacred Triduum (Mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday, Easter Vigil) the current calendar counts Lent as only from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, up to the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Even so, Lenten practices are properly maintained up to the Easter Vigil, excluding Sundays, as before.]
^abcW, W.J. (1881).The Irish Ecclesiastical Record. Browne and Nolan. p. 34.But although the Sundays in Lent are notfasting days, there can be no question that, by the common law of the Church, they are days of most rigorousabstinence.
^Bohmat, Pavlo (2001)."Проповіді" (in Ukrainian).Ukrainian Lutheran Church. Retrieved19 September 2018.Як відомо, німецьке лютеранство згідно з церковною традицією залишило у вжитку чимало католицьких елементів, особливо в літургії. "Створена Лютером форма богослужіння, власне кажучи, є німецьким перекладом латинської меси" (Ф. Гейгер). В усьому світі лютерани, як і німці в Україні, відтворюють західний обряд. Натомість українці-лютерани від самого початку звернулись до православного обряду та юліанського календаря. Чому? Перше, що спадає на думку, -греко-католицьке походження засновників церкви. І це справді є однією з причин, що зумовила її оригінальне обличчя.
^abcGassmann, Günther; Oldenburg, Mark W. (2011).Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism. Scarecrow Press. p. 229.ISBN978-0810874824.In many Lutheran churches, the Sundays during the Lenten season are called by the first word of their respective Latin Introitus (with the exception of Palm/Passion Sunday): Invocavit,[sic] Reminiscere, Oculi, Laetare, and Judica. Many Lutheran church orders of the 16th century retained the observation of the Lenten fast, and Lutherans have observed this season with a serene, earnest attitude. Special days of eucharistic communion were set aside on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
^abButler, Alban (1839).The Moveable Feasts, Fasts, and Other Annual Observances of the Catholic Church.Dublin: James Duffy. pp. 144–146.The primitive Christians in Lent broke their fast only after sunset, and then usually only with herbs, roots, and bread. At least all were obliged to abstain not only from flesh meat, but also from fish, and whatever had life; also whatever is derived from flesh, as eggs, milk, cheese, butter, according to the ancient canon. Likewise from wine, which in the primitive ages was no less forbidden on all fasting days than the use of flesh meat itself ... Some mitigations were introduced in part of abstinence in the sixth century ... Fish was in the same age allowed, but not of the dearer and more dainty kinds.
^abButler, Alban (1774).The Moveable Feasts, Fasts, and Other Annual Observances of the Catholic Church. C. Kiernan. p. 257.It is undoubted, that anciently to drink on fasting days was no less forbid than to eat, only in the refection after sunset.
^abCléir, Síle de (2017).Popular Catholicism in 20th-Century Ireland: Locality, Identity and Culture. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 101.ISBN978-1350020603.Catherine Bell outlines the details of fasting and abstinence in a historical context, stating that the Advent fast was usually less severe than that carried out in Lent, which originally involved just one meal a day, not to be eaten until after sunset.
^abcSamaan, Moses (9 April 2009)."The Meaning of the Great Lent".Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii. Retrieved10 March 2024.The Church teaches us to fast until sunset. Fish is not allowed during this period. Also married couples should refrain from physical relations to give themselves time for fasting and prayer (1 Cor. 7: 5). We would like to emphasize the importance of the period of strict abstention during fasting. It is refraining from eating and drinking for a period of time, followed by eating vegetarian food.
^abCrumm, David.Our Lent, 2nd Edition. David Crumm Media LLC.ISBN978-1934879504.
^Ambrose, Gill; Craig-Wild, Peter; Craven, Diane; Moger, Peter (2007).Together for a Season. Church House Publishing. p. 34.ISBN978-0715140635.
^Knowlton, MaryLee (2004).Macedonia. Marshall Cavendish. p. 125.ISBN978-0761418542.Traditionally, as in many Christian countries, the carnival marked the beginning of Lent, which ushered in a six-week period of fasting for Christians.
^abcdefghKellner, Karl Adam Heinrich (1908).Heortology: A History of the Christian Festivals from Their Origin to the Present Day. K. Paul. p. 99.
^abNampon, Adrien (1869).Catholic Doctrine as Defined by the Council of Trent: Expounded in a Series of Conferences Delivered in Geneva Proposed as a Means of Reuniting All Christians. P. F. Cunningham. p. 688.
^Keenan, Stephen (1899).A Doctrinal Catechism: Wherein Divers Points of Catholic Faith and Practice Assailed by Modern Heretics, are Sustained by an Appeal to the Holy Scriptures, the Testimony of the Ancient Fathers, and the Dictates of Reason, on the Basis of Scheffmacher's Catechism. by the Rev. Stephen Kennan. P.J. Kenedy. pp. 178–179.
^abRusso, Nicholas V. (2013)."The Early History of Lent"(PDF). The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University. Retrieved17 February 2021.
^Bradshaw, Paul F. (1993). "Diem baptismo sollemniorem: Initiation and Easter in Christian Antiquity". In Carr, E.; Parenti, S.; Thiermeyer, A.A.; Velkovska, E. (eds.).ΕΥΛΟΓΗΜΑ. Studies in honor of Robert Taft, S J. Analecta Liturgica, 17. Rome: Studia Anselmiana.
^Gassmann, Günther; Oldenburg, Mark W. (10 October 2011).Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism. Scarecrow Press. p. 229.ISBN9780810874824.The Council of Nicea (325) for the first time mentioned Lent as a period of 40 days of fasting in preparation for Easter.
^abcHerbert, Thurston (1910)."Lent" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company. See paragraph: Duration of the Fast
^abThe "Secret of the Mass" in the First Sunday of Lent – "Sacrificium Quadragesimalis Initii", Missale Romanum Ambrosianus
^Stuber, Stanley I. (1960). New Revised edition.Primer on Roman Catholicism for Protestants: an Appraisal of the Basic Differences between the Roman Catholic Church and Protestantism. New York: Association Press. p. 57.
^The Roman and the Lutheran Observance of Lent. Luther League of America. 1920. p. 5.
^What is Lent and why does it last forty days?. The United Methodist Church. Retrieved20 April 2014.Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter" and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection.
^"Moravian Passion Week". New Hope Moravian Church. Archived fromthe original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved8 March 2021.Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with the conclusion of the Great Sabbath (Holy Saturday to Easter Eve) - a span of forty days on the church calendar, excluding Sundays.
^Robel Arega."Fasting in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church". Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Sunday School Department – Mahibere Kidusan. Why Fifty-Five Days?. Archived fromthe original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved30 March 2017.
^"Lenten Micro-Practices". Upper Dublin Lutheran Church. Retrieved17 February 2021.Traditionally, there are three pillars of Lent: praying, fasting, and almsgiving, which come to us from Matthew 6:1-18.[permanent dead link]
^Beadle, Richard (17 March 1994).The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Theatre. Cambridge University Press. p. 69.ISBN9780521459167.One of these was the pre-Lent Carnival extravaganza of Shrovetide, though this seems to have been celebrated to a much lesser extent in Britain than it was (and still is) on the continent: however, we know of English Shrovetide plays, andMankind bears signs of being one of them (335).
^Thaler, Shmuel (26 February 2020)."Lunch marks beginning of Lent".Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved8 March 2021.Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Roman Catholics who make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with.
^Walker, Katie (7 March 2011)."Shrove Tuesday inspires unique church traditions". Daily American. Archived fromthe original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved4 January 2016.Many local churches will celebrate Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, a day of feasting commonly known as "pancake day." Shrove Tuesday is typically observed by Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist and Catholic denominations, but each church celebrates the day in its own, unique way. The Rev. Lenny Anderson of the St. Francis-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Somerset said the primary focus of Shrove Tuesday is to prepare for Lent, the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter.
^Melitta Weiss Adamson, Francine Segan (2008).Entertaining from Ancient Rome to the Super Bowl.ABC-CLIO.ISBN9780313086892.In Anglican countries, Mardis Gras is known asShrove Tuesday—fromshrive meaning "confess"—orPancake Day—after the breakfast food that symbolizes one final hearty meal of eggs, butter, milk and sugar before the fast. On Ash Wednesday, the morning after Mardi Gras, repentant Christians return to church to receive upon the forehead the sign of the cross in ashes.
^Mortimer, Caroline (10 February 2016)."The top 10 things most people will (try) to give up for Lent".The Independent. Retrieved17 March 2019.Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent - the festival where people give up a guilty pleasure for 40 days until Easter Sunday. Lent marks the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert.
^Guéranger, Prosper; Fromage, Lucien (1912).The Liturgical Year: Lent. Burns, Oates & Washbourne. p. 8. Retrieved7 February 2019.St. Benedict's rule prescribed a great many fasts, over and above the ecclesiastical fast of Lent; but it made this great distinction between the two: that whilst Lent obliged the monks, as well as the rest of the faithful, to abstain from food till sunset, these monastic fasts allowed the repast to be taken at the hour of None.
^Zaidi, Hiyah (24 February 2022)."What is Ash Wednesday 2023? When is day, Lent meaning, what is mass - is it connected to Shrove Tuesday". National World. Retrieved14 March 2024.Some Christians choose to fast where Western Christians traditionally break the Lenten fast at sunset also known as the Black Fast. In countries such as India and Pakistan, some Christians fast until sunset on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with some manner of fasting within the 40 days of Lent.
^"Lent: Daniel Fast Gains Popularity".HuffPost. Religion News Service. 7 February 2013. Retrieved30 December 2018.In some cases, entire churches do the Daniel Fast together during Lent. The idea strikes a chord in Methodist traditions, which trace their heritage to John Wesley, a proponent of fasting. Leaders in the African Methodist Episcopal Church have urged churchgoers to do the Daniel Fast together, and congregations from Washington to Pennsylvania and Maryland have joined in.
^abGavitt, Loren Nichols (1991).Traditional Saint Augustine's Prayer Book: A Book of Devotion for Members of the Anglican Communion. Holy Cross Publications.
^Thurston, Herbert (1904).Lent and Holy Week.Longmans, Green. p. 57.
^Regulations for Lent.Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. 1905. p. 4.The Faithful are recommended during Lent to abstain from all intoxicating drinks in remembrance of the Sacred Thirst of Our Lord on the Cross.
^Giraldus Cambrensis (1912). "OF THE RIVER TEIVI, CARDIGAN, AND EMELYN".Baldwin's Itinerary Through Wales. Vol. 2. J. M. Dent and Sons. Retrieved24 September 2024.
^Hatch, Jane M. (1978).The American Book of Days. Wilson. p. 163.ISBN978-0824205935.Special religious services are held on Ash Wednesday by the Church of England, and in the United States by Episcopal, Lutheran, and some other Protestant churches. The Episcopal Church prescribes no rules concerning fasting on Ash Wednesday, which is carried out according to members' personal wishes; however, it recommends a measure of fasting and abstinence as a suitable means of marking the day with proper devotion. Among Lutherans as well, there are no set rules for fasting, although some local congregations may advocate this form of penitence in varying degrees.
^Pfatteicher, Philip H. (1990).Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context. Augsburg Fortress Publishers. pp. 223–244, 260.ISBN978-0800603922.The Good Friday fast became the principal fast in the calendar, and even after the Reformation in Germany many Lutherans who observed no other fast scrupulously kept Good Friday with strict fasting.
^Jacobs, Henry Eyster; Haas, John Augustus William (1899).The Lutheran Cyclopedia. Scribner. p. 110.By many Lutherans Good Friday is observed as a strict fast. The lessons on Ash Wednesday emphasize the proper idea of the fast. The Sundays in Lent receive their names from the first words of their Introits in the Latin service, Invocavit, Reminiscere, Oculi, Lcetare, Judica.
^Calvin, John (1536).Institutes of the Christian Religion. Translated by Beveridge, Henry.
^Rutherford, Samuel (1643).Lex, Rex, Or The Law And The Prince: A Dispute For The Just Prerogative Of King And People. p. 181.,
^Directory for the Public Worship of God. Chapter XIV: The Westminster Assembly. 1645.
^Clark, R. Scott (14 March 2017)."With The Reformed Pubcast On Lent And Sola Scriptura". The Heidelblog.According to the western church calendar this is the Lenten season (the 40 days from 'Shrove Tuesday' to Easter) and it is being more widely observed within NAPARC. This is worth noting since, historically, most Reformed churches have not observed Lent and have often confessed against it as an infringement of Christian liberty and contrary to the formal principle of the Reformation,sola scriptura.
^John Wesley (1825).The Sunday Service of the Methodists. J. Kershaw. p. 145.Days of Fasting or Abstinence All the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas-Day
^McKnight, Scot (2010).Fasting: The Ancient Practices. Thomas Nelson. p. 88.ISBN9781418576134.John Wesley, in hisJournal, wrote on Friday, August 17, 1739, that "many of our society met, as we had appointed, at one in the afternoon and agreed that all members of our society should obey the Church to which we belong by observing 'all Fridays in the year' as 'days of fasting and abstinence.'
^Hinson, E. Glenn (1981).The Evangelization of the Roman Empire: Identity and Adaptability. Mercer University Press.ISBN978-0865540149.Like its parent, Judaism, earliest Christianity had a catechism for its converts, as much recent study has proven. […] Hippolytus required up to three years' instruction before baptism, shortened by a candidate's progress in developing Christian character.
^Vanspall, Julie (25 February 2021)."The benefits of discipline ... even giving up chocolate". The B.C. Catholic. Retrieved2 March 2025.As a Lenten sacrifice, it can "train" me with a reminder to pray for someone with less, to give the money I would have spent on chocolate to someone in need, and to strive to live in gratitude for Christ's gift of salvation.
^"What Are the Main Worship Services during Lent and Holy Week?". Anglican Compass. 20 February 2020. Retrieved13 April 2022.If you are new to Lent, you can go to any Anglican, Lutheran, or Roman Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday. […] Many services on Palm Sunday begin with "the Procession of the Palms," where worshipers hold palm branches as they process into the church.
^Weaver, J. Dudley Jr. (2002).Presbyterian Worship: A Guide for Clergy. Geneva Press. p. 106.ISBN978-0664502188.The alleluia is traditionally not sung during Lent, and, here at the first service of Easter, it is at last reintroduced to the church's liturgy.
^Gally, Howard E. (1989).Ceremonies of the Eucharist. Cowley Publications. p. 45.ISBN978-1461660521.In recent decades there has been a revival of the ancient use of red (crimson or scarlet) for Holy Week among both Episcopalians and Lutherans. The Roman Rite has restored the use of red only on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
^Krohner, Susan."Lent". Memorial United Methodist Church.The liturgical color is violet, except on Good Friday when it is black. You will see the violet on our minister (her stole), on the altar (the paraments), on the banner […]
^The Church of England rubric states: "The colour for a particular service should reflect the predominant theme. If the Collect, Readings, etc. on a Lesser Festival are those of the saint, then either red (for a martyr) or white is used; otherwise, the colour of the season is retained." Seep. 532 here.
^"spy,n.",OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2013,Spy Wednesdayn. in Irish use, the Wednesday before Easter.
^Packer, George Nichols (1893)."Our Calendar: The Julian Calendar and Its Errors, how Corrected by the Gregorian". Corning, NY: [The author]. p. 112. Retrieved15 December 2013.Spy Wednesday, so called in allusion to the betrayal of Christ by Judas, or the day on which he made the bargain to deliver Him into the hands of His enemies for 30 pieces of silver.
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