Lent is a traditional Catholic holiday that is celebrated 46 days before Easter. The 46 days are mainly because of the 6 Sundays that happen during the month of lent. The reason for the 46 days is for the 40 days of fasting and keeping the traditional holy day. “During Lent, people are encouraged to give something up—often a bad habit—while also focusing on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.” Fasting for Catholics looks different than fasting for others. For Catholics fasting entails either fasting from a certain thing like phone usage, procrastination, laziness etc. However, it can also mean fasting from foods such as: caffeine, bread, carbs etc. Another way that Catholics fast is by eating one full meal and two smaller meals instead of three full meals. Giving something in prayer can be in various forms such as praying for someone’s day or praying for someone in general. It can also set time aside to pray in silence. Another way is praying the rosary everyday for the 40 days. 

According to historians, Eusebius Early Christians used to fast for one or two days preparing themselves for Easter which was Jesus’ resurrection. After Christianity was legalized, Lent started to become more established, including a 40 day preparation before Easter. However,this season didn’t start naturally. Pope Gregory the 1st is the one that started the movement of Lent around the year 601 AD. The number 40 is actually very significant in biblical terms because in Genesis 6:9-9:17 it talks about the flood that wiped everything off the earth and lasted 40 nights and 40 days. Then the time that Jesus fasted for 40 nights and 40 days, also Moses waited 40 days and 40 nights to receive the 10 commandments. Pope Gregory also was the one who established Ash Wednesday. 

Ash Wednesday is the very first day of Lent. Ash Wednesday is different every year since Easter is the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. In Lent, there is also Palm Sunday which is in remembrance of when Jesus first walked into Jerusalem and people greeted him by waving palm branches. Palm Sunday this year is March 28th. Palm Sunday is actually the start of holy week. Holy week is the last week of the season of Lent. During holy week, we have Palm Sunday where people go to church and we have palm branches that are blessed during the mass and we form them into a cross. There’s also Holy Thursday which is in remembrance of the last supper, good friday the day that Jesus was crucified and holy saturday which is the day that jesus laid in the tomb.

Today, Lent is celebrated by many people. However, in past times Lent was traditionally tied with people getting ready for baptismal conversion. Then later on many Christians started doing it as a way to reflect on their own faith. Nowadays, all sorts of people celebrate Lent such as Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Anglicans, Lutherans and so many more people. However, Eastern Orthodox Christians follow a different calendar than Roman Catholics do. So Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate a different type of lent known as “Great Lent”. Since their churches use the Julian calendar, they often have different dates for everything and their Lent is the six weeks before palm sunday and their fasting continues all throughout the holy week of Orthodox Easter.

For many people, Lent is an important time for reflection and personal growth.. The Catholic church emphasizes the importance of this season because it encourages people to go to church and to grow not only in faith but as a person. The Lent season brings out the devotion and sacrifice that Christians make to grow. Whether observed for religious reasons or personal reflection, Lent continues to be a meaningful tradition for millions around the world.