Introduction to Lent

Written in English as Lent, it means spring. The Latin Church calls it Quadragesima, meaning forty days (Lent).

Lent begins on the first day of Lent (Ash Wednesday/Ash Wednesday) and ends on the day before Easter, a period of 40 days (not counting the six Sundays). Christians make amends for their sins by fasting, almsgiving, and mortification in preparation for the celebration of the "Passover miracle" of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the death penalty.

The Forty Days originated when Jesus went into the wilderness to fast after his baptism in John the Baptist and repelled the temptations of the devil with food, power and trust in God.

The liturgical color for Lent is purple, but Palm Sunday is in red.

Because the dates of Lent are referenced by the lunar calendar, as is the New Year, the two events often overlap. Some churches postpone certain services by a week if necessary to avoid clashing with the lunar new year.