It was Ash Wednesday yesterday, the start of Lent, in the old Christian church calendar. We don't commemorate Lent in Linden but I was asked to go into the prison last night for chaplain's hour so I thought I'd talk a little about it.
I grew up in the Anglican church so I am familiar with the customs but refreshed myself - and found out new info - by doing a bit of googling. You can skip over the rest of this post if you know all about Lent.
Ash Wednesday is the seventh Wednesday before Easter and it marks the start of the 40 day period known as Lent (from old English, lencten, meaning to lengthen i.e. more hours of daylight in the days). The smart amongst you may think, ah, but surely that's more than 40 days, and it is. But Sundays don't count.
Ash Wednesday takes its name from the habit of making the mark of the cross in ash on a believer's forehead in a service during the day. The day before Ash Wednesday is, of course, Pancake Day or, more properly, Shrove Tuesday (from the verb, to shrive, meaning to confess your sins and receive absolution). It's also known as Mardi Gras (fat Tuesday in French) and Carnival (goodbye to meat in Italian).
Shrove Tuesday is a day for penitence, to think back and say sorry, and feasting. As it was traditional to fast or abstain from meat, eggs, fat and milk during Lent, they all had to be used up the day before. Hence the pancakes.
Why fast? Because the 40 day period is to remember Jesus who spent 40 days in the desert, fasting and praying, before he started his ministry. Are you still with me? Parties and festivities weren't allowed either. I'm currently reading The Boleyn Inheritance, by Phillipa Gregory, about Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard, Henry's 4th and 5th wives, and Katherine Howard, who is only a spoiled and silly girl, complains because she can't dance or have new gowns during Lent.
Today few people will fast for Lent but very often people will give up something they enjoy, like chocolate. Alternatively some prefer to take more positive action.
5 comments:
Oooh, I love Philippa Gregory's books about Henry VIII and that era. Just read that particular book a few months back and really enjoyed it. Have you read "The Other Boleyn Girl"?
Yes, that was the first one of hers I read. I really liked it and I have the DVD of the film but haven't watched it yet. I'm enjoying this one too but one of her others I didn't care for; I can't remember what it was called but the characters weren't very likeable.
A very good summary of lent and I am glad that I was not so proud as to think I knew all about it. I knoew mardi gras meant fat Tuesday, but not Carnival--though I see it so obviously (I've been brushing up my Spanish.) Some other good stuff here, too. Thanks for doing the research.
We had blueberry pancakes for dinner on Tuesday.
Liz:
Loved your comments on Lent but thought that you should know that ALL Roman Catholics as well as Eastern Orthodox Catholics observe the custom of giving up something for Lent. Across the globe that is a sizeable population. There is both a Lenten fast and a "mite" box. The box, although historically for adults is mostly today used by children. You would put your "treat" money in it and send it to the local poor or the foreign missionaries, as well as giving something up.
Whether you are a Christian or a Jew the next few weeks are a time of preparation. Jews perform mitzvo and put money in the family charity box--the precursor of the Catholic Mite box. Christians prepare for Easter and Jews prepare for Passover. Each ancient religion celebrates the period in similar ways. One of the problems we have in Industrial society is that the Jewish religious calander is lunar rather than based on Gregorian calculations. The two holidays only meet on the same day every couple of years. Yet they do meet.
Glad to hear that you are following tradition.
Cheers!
Annie
Katney, blueberrry pancakes, mmm.
Thanks, Annie. That was interesting. It certainly is a lot of people giving up something.
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