Lent 101

What is Lent?
Lent is a season of the Christian Year where Christians focus on simple living, prayer, and fasting in order to grow closer to God.
When is Lent? It’s the forty days before Easter. Lent excludes Sundays because every Sunday is like a little Easter.

Basically, it’s about one-tenth of a year (like a tithe of time). Mardi Gras is the day before Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday. This year it’s from February 10 (Ash Wednesday) to March 27 (Easter), 2016.

Mardi Gras?  What does that have to do with JESUS?? Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday.” It refers to the day before Lent starts. Since Lent always starts on a Wednesday, the day before is always a Tuesday. And it’s called “Fat” or “Great” because it’s associated with great food and parties.

In earlier times, people used Lent as a time of fasting and repentance. Since they didn’t want to be tempted by sweets, meat and other distractions in the house, they cleaned out their cabinets.

They used up all the sugar and yeast in sweet breads before the Lent season started, and fixed meals with all the meat available. It was a great feast!  Through the years Mardi Gras has evolved (in some places) into a pretty wild party with little to do with preparing for the Lenten season of repentance and simplicity. Oh well. But Christians still know its origin, and hang onto the true Spirit of the season.

From; The Upper Room