Lent

Lent is a liturgical season in Western Christianity marked by repentance and preparation for Easter. It lasts about forty days of fasting and spiritual discipline, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday. Sundays are usually omitted from the fasting count. The term Lent comes from the Old English lencten, meaning spring, reflecting both its seasonal and penitential associations.

Common practices include fasting or abstaining from certain foods, increased prayer, and almsgiving. Catholics observe fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstinence from meat on all Fridays during Lent. Many Christians undertake personal sacrifices or devotional disciplines such as daily prayer, Scripture reading, or the Stations of the Cross. Practices vary by denomination and culture.

In the Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches, a similar period is known as Great Lent, which may begin on a different date according to the Julian calendar and involves stricter fasting rules. The length and exact requirements vary, but the aim remains penitential preparation for Easter, culminating in Holy Week.

Completion of Lent is followed by Holy Week and Easter, a celebration of the passion, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. Lent thus functions as a season of reflection, repentance, and spiritual renewal in many Christian communities.