Lent is the period coming up to the Christian holy day of Easter. Lent is approximately 40 days which leads up to Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter Sunday. Lent roughly starts near the end of winter and ends near the beginning of spring. Lent is the preparation for holy week. These 40 days are marked by fasting, both from food and festivities. Nowadays it is said that people give up something they enjoy doing the most and give up their time to join charitable organizations. Lent is a season of sorrowful reflection. Sundays are not counted in the 40 days of lent. Lent is a season of grief which ends with great celebrations of Easter.
In the ancient times fasting during Lent was much severe than it is today. Meat, fish, eggs and milk products were strictly forbidden, and only one meal was taken each day. Today, fasting is more relaxed but some foods are still forbidden. In the Catholic Church fasting is only allowed for people over seventeen and younger than sixty. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday a person can eat one full meal but may eat two smaller meals to keep up their strengths. The two smaller meals have to be the sum of a meal smaller than a full one. This fasting during Lent is a way for Christians to identify with Jesus in his suffering.
There are several holy days within Lent. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. The main symbol of that day is ash, which Christians mark on the foreheads of other people. Ash is the traditional symbol for mourning. Psalm Sunday is the day Jesus entered Jerusalem as the ‘king of Jews’. His celebrations were marked by his followers. Maundy Thursday is the Thursday of the Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples. Good Friday is the day that Jesus was crucified. He died on that day and was buried.
Holy Week is the last week of Lent. The holy days in this week are: Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Psalm Sunday.
- Maundy Thursday: this day is remembered as the time Jesus ate his last meal together with the men who had followed him for so long. Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet to illustrate humility and the spirit of servant hood. When they had finished the meal they walked in to the night towards Gethsemane and Jesus taught them a new Commandment. The colours used for Maundy Thursday are usually the colours used for Lent, royal purple or red violet. There is a great variety in exactly how the service is carried out. In some churches it is tradition for the priest to wash the feet of members of the congregation.
- Good Friday: this day commemorates Jesus’ arrest, his trial, crucifixion and suffering, death, and burial. Depending on how the services are conducted on that day, all pictures, statues and the cross are covered in mourning black. They left like that through Saturday but changed to white on Sunday morning.
- Holy Saturday: This is the seventh day, the day Jesus rested in his tomb. Some traditions suspend services and scripture readings during the day on Saturday, to be continued at the Easter Vigil after sundown Saturday. It is usually a day of quiet meditation as Christians contemplate the darkness of a world without a future and without hope apart from God and his grace. Also a time to remember family.
- Psalm Sunday: This Sunday celebrates the triumphant return of Jesus into Jerusalem which was marked by the crowds who were there for the Passover. It is known that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey which emphasized the humility that was to characterise the Kingdom he proclaimed. Traditionally, worshippers enact the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem by the waving of palm branches and singing songs of celebration. Sometimes this is accompanied by a processional into the church. In many churches, children are an integral part of this service since they enjoy processions and activity as a part of worship. This provides a good opportunity to involve them in the worship life of the community of Faith. This Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday to commemorate the beginning of Holy Week and Jesus’ final agonizing journey to the cross.
