Lent

== Associated customs ==
[[File:Legionarios en la procesión de El Encuentro (Semana Santa en Ceuta, 2012).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|In many [[Christian state|Christian countries]], [[Procession#Christian|religious processions]] during the season of Lent are often accompanied by a military escort both for security and parade. [[Ceuta]], Spain]]

Three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent; these are known as the three pillars of Lent:<ref name="DLC2021">{{cite web |title=Lenten Micro-Practices |url=https://udlc.org/lenten-micropractices |publisher=Upper Dublin Lutheran Church |access-date=17 February 2021 |language=English |quote=Traditionally, there are three pillars of Lent: praying, fasting, and almsgiving, which come to us from Matthew 6:1-18. }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
# [[prayer]] ([[justice]] toward God)
# [[fasting]] (justice toward self)
# [[almsgiving]] (justice toward neighbours)

Self-reflection, simplicity, and sincerity (honesty) are emphasised during the Lenten season.<ref name="Jumper2020"/>

=== Pre-Lenten observances ===
{{Main|Pre-Lent|Carnival}}
During [[pre-Lent]], it is customary for Christians to ponder what [[Lenten sacrifice]]s they will make for Lent.<ref name="JKelvey2018">{{cite web |last1=Kelvey |first1=Jon |title=Strawbridge United Methodist keeps Shrove Tuesday pancake tradition |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll/news/cc-shrove-tuesday-pancakes-20180213-story.html |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |access-date=25 February 2020 |language=en |date=13 February 2018}}</ref>

The pre-Lenten period concludes with the opportunity for a last round of merrymaking, known as [[Carnival]], [[Shrovetide]], or [[Fastelavn]], before the start of the sombre Lenten season. The traditions of carrying Shrovetide rods and consuming Shrovetide buns after attending church is celebrated.<ref name="ELCD2021">{{cite web |title=Shrovetide|url=https://www.lutheranchurch.dk/liturgy-and-worship/festivals-and-traditions/shrovetide |publisher=[[Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark]] |access-date=8 February 2021 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="Beadle1994">{{cite book|last=Beadle|first=Richard|title=The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Theatre|date=17 March 1994|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521459167|page=[https://archive.org/details/cambridgecompani00rich_1/page/69 69]|quote=One of these was the pre-Lent Carnival extravaganza of Shrovetide, though this seems to have been celebrated to a much lesser extent in Britain than it was (and still is) on the continent: however, we know of English Shrovetide plays, and ''Mankind'' bears signs of being one of them (''335'').|url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgecompani00rich_1/page/69}}</ref>

On the final day of the season, [[Shrove Tuesday]] or [[Mardi Gras]], many traditional Christians, such as [[Catholics]], [[Lutherans]], [[Anglicans]],  and [[Methodists]] "make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with."<ref name="Thaler2020">{{cite web |last1=Thaler |first1=Shmuel |title=Lunch marks beginning of Lent |url=https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2020/02/26/photo-lunch-marks-beginning-of-lent/ |publisher=[[Santa Cruz Sentinel]] |access-date=8 March 2021 |language=English |date=26 February 2020 |quote=Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Roman Catholics who make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God’s help in dealing with.}}</ref><ref name="Walker2011">{{cite web|url=http://articles.dailyamerican.com/2011-03-07/news/29155052_1_pancake-dinner-pancake-day-shrove|title=Shrove Tuesday inspires unique church traditions|last=Walker|first=Katie|date=7 March 2011|publisher=Daily American|access-date=4 January 2016|quote=Many local churches will celebrate Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, a day of feasting commonly known as “pancake day.” Shrove Tuesday is typically observed by Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist and Catholic denominations, but each church celebrates the day in its own, unique way. The Rev. Lenny Anderson of the St. Francis-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Somerset said the primary focus of Shrove Tuesday is to prepare for Lent, the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter.|archive-date=14 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214030411/http://articles.dailyamerican.com/2011-03-07/news/29155052_1_pancake-dinner-pancake-day-shrove|url-status=dead}}</ref> During Shrovetide, many churches place a basket in the [[narthex]] to collect the previous year's [[Holy Week]] palm branches that were blessed and distributed during the [[Palm Sunday]] liturgies; on Shrove Tuesday, churches burn these [[Palm branch|palms]] to make the ashes used during the services held on the very next day, Ash Wednesday.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shrove Tuesday |url=https://www.timesreporter.com/news/20200218/good-day |publisher=[[The Times-Reporter]] |access-date=4 April 2020 |language=en |date=18 February 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806074002/https://www.timesreporter.com/news/20200218/good-day |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In historically [[Lutheran]] nations, Shrovetide is known as [[Fastelavn]]. After attending the [[Mass (liturgy)#Lutheranism|Mass]] on [[Shrove Sunday]], congregants enjoy Shrovetide buns (fastelavnsboller), "round sweet buns that are covered with icing and filled with cream and/or jam."<ref name="ELCD2021"/> Children often dress up and collect money from people while singing.<ref name="ELCD2021"/> They also practice the tradition of hitting a barrel, which represents fighting Satan; after doing this, children enjoy the sweets inside the barrel.<ref name="ELCD2021"/> Lutheran Christians in these nations carry Shrovetide rods (fastelavnsris), which "branches decorated with sweets, little presents, etc., that are used to decorate the home or give to children."<ref name="ELCD2021"/>

In English-speaking countries such as the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Canada]], the day before Lent is known as Shrove Tuesday, which is derived from the word ''shrive'', meaning "to administer the sacrament of [[Confession (religion)|confession]] to; to absolve."<ref name="Melitta Weiss Adamson, Francine Segan 2008">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PPDIx6WWuOQC&q=Anglican+Mardi+Gras&pg=PA354|title=Entertaining from Ancient Rome to the Super Bowl|author=Melitta Weiss Adamson, Francine Segan|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|year=2008|isbn=9780313086892|quote=In Anglican countries, Mardis Gras is known as ''Shrove Tuesday''—from ''shrive'' meaning "confess"—or ''Pancake Day''—after the breakfast food that symbolizes one final hearty meal of eggs, butter, milk and sugar before the fast. On Ash Wednesday, the morning after Mardi Gras, repentant Christians return to church to receive upon the forehead the sign of the cross in ashes.}}</ref> In these countries, [[pancakes]] are associated with Shrove Tuesday because they are a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar – rich foods which are not eaten during the season.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pancake Day: Why Shrove Tuesday is a thing |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-43044272 |website=BBC News |access-date=17 February 2021 |date=25 February 2020}}</ref>

The Carnival celebrations which in many cultures traditionally precede Lent are seen as a last opportunity for excess before Lent begins. Some of the most famous are the [[Carnival of Barranquilla]], the [[Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife]], the [[Carnival of Venice]], [[Cologne Carnival]], the [[New Orleans Mardi Gras]], the [[Rio de Janeiro carnival]], and the [[Trinidad and Tobago Carnival]].{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

In stark contrast to traditions of merrymaking and feasting, Oriental Orthodox Churches practice a pre-Lenten fast in preparation for Lent which is immediately followed by the fast of Great Lent without interruption.

=== Fasting and Lenten sacrifice ===
[[File:Brooklyn Museum - Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness (Jésus tenté dans le désert) - James Tissot - overall.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|''Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness (Jésus tenté dans le désert)'', [[James Tissot]], [[Brooklyn Museum]]]]
{{main|Lenten sacrifice}}
{{see also|Christian dietary laws}}
There are traditionally 40 days in Lent; these are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of [[penance]]. Fasting is maintained for all 40 days of Lent (regardless of how they are enumerated; see [[#Date and duration|above]]). Historically, fasting and abstinence has been maintained continuously for the weekdays of the whole Lenten season, with Sundays being days of abstinence only.<ref name="WJW">{{cite book |last1=W |first1=W.J. |title=The Irish Ecclesiastical Record |date=1881 |publisher=Browne and Nolan |page=34 |language=en |quote=But although the Sundays in Lent are not ''fasting'' days, there can be no question that, by the common law of the Church, they are days of most rigorous ''abstinence''.}}</ref> The making of a [[Lenten sacrifice]], in which Christians give up a personal pleasure for the duration of 40 days, is a traditional practice during Lent.<ref name="Mortimer2016">{{cite web |last1=Mortimer |first1=Caroline |title=The top 10 things most people will (try) to give up for Lent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/lent-2016-the-top-10-things-most-people-will-try-to-give-up-a6865181.html |work=[[The Independent]] |accessdate=17 March 2019 |language=English |date=10 February 2016|quote=Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent - the festival where people give up a guilty pleasure for 40 days until Easter Sunday. Lent marks the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert.}}</ref>

During [[Shrovetide]] and especially on [[Shrove Tuesday]], the day before the start of the Lenten season, many Christians finalize their decision with respect to what [[Lenten sacrifice]]s they will make for Lent.<ref name="JKelvey2018"/> Examples include practicing [[Christian vegetarianism|vegetarianism]] and [[teetotalism]] during Lent as a Lenten sacrifice.<ref name="McDuff2013">{{cite web |last1=McDuff |first1=Mallory |title=After Giving up Alcohol, I'm Addicted to Lent |url=https://sojo.net/articles/lenten-reflections/after-giving-alcohol-i-m-addicted-lent |publisher=[[Sojourners]] |access-date=18 February 2021 |language=English |date=4 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="Bekhechi2017">{{cite web |last1=Bekhechi |first1=Mimi |title=This is why you should go vegetarian or vegan for Lent and how to do it |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/vegetarian-vegan-giving-meat-lent-why-and-how-do-it-a7606031.html |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=18 February 2021 |language=English |date=1 March 2017}}</ref> While making a Lenten sacrifice, it is customary to [[Christian prayer|pray]] for strength to keep it; many often wish others for doing so as well, e.g. "May God bless your Lenten sacrifice."<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Shrove Tuesday? Meaning, Traditions, and 2021 Date |url=https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-shrove-tuesday-meaning-and-holiday-date.html |publisher=[[Christianity.com]] |access-date=16 February 2021 |language=English |quote=While undergoing a Lenten sacrifice, it is helpful to pray for strength; and encouraging fellow Christians in their fast saying, for example: "May God bless your Lenten sacrifice."}}</ref> In addition, some believers add a regular spiritual discipline, to bring them closer to God, such as reading a Lenten [[daily devotional]].<ref name=Crumm>{{cite book|last=Crumm|first=David|title=Our Lent, 2nd Edition|publisher=David Crumm Media LLC |isbn=978-1934879504}}</ref>

For Catholics, Lutherans, Moravians, Anglicans, United Protestants, and Lent-observing Methodists and Reformed Christians, the Lenten penitential season ends after the [[Easter Vigil]] [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] or [[Sunrise service]]. Orthodox Christians also break their fast after the [[Paschal Vigil]], a service which starts around 11:00&nbsp;pm on Holy Saturday, and which includes the Paschal celebration of the [[Divine Liturgy]] of St. [[John Chrysostom]]. At the end of the service, the priest blesses cheese, eggs, flesh meats, and other items that the faithful have been abstaining from for the duration of Great Lent.

Lenten traditions and liturgical practices are less common, less binding, and sometimes non-existent among some [[liberal Christianity|liberal]] and [[progressive Christianity|progressive Christians]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/ash-wednesday-practice-and-meaning/ |title=Ash Wednesday: What Is Ash Wednesday? How Do We Observe It? Why Should We? |publisher=Patheos.com |access-date=25 March 2014}}</ref> A greater emphasis on anticipation of [[Easter Sunday]] is often encouraged more than the penitence of Lent or Holy Week.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=54122&cid=690 |title=An Ecofeminist Perspective on Ash Wednesday and Lent |publisher=Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe |access-date=25 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219030310/http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=54122&cid=690 |archive-date=19 December 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Some Christians as well as [[secular]] groups also interpret the Lenten fast in a positive tone, not as renunciation but as contributing to causes such as environmental stewardship and improvement of health.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hebden|first=Keith|title=This Lent I will eat no food, to highlight the hunger all around us|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/03/lent-food-hunger-fasting-britain|newspaper=The Guardian|date=3 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Matt |last=DiLallo |url=http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/03/02/believe-it-or-not-catholics-observing-lent-save-ou.aspx |title=Believe it or Not, Catholics Observing Lent Save Our Environment |publisher=Fool.com |date=2 March 2014 |access-date=25 March 2014}}</ref> Even some [[atheists]] find value in the Christian tradition and observe Lent.<ref>{{cite web|last=Winston|first=Kimberly|title=After giving up religion, atheists try giving up something else for Lent|url=http://www.religionnews.com/2013/03/18/after-giving-up-religion-atheists-try-giving-up-something-else-for-lent/|publisher=Religion News Service|access-date=19 March 2013|date=18 March 2013}}</ref>

==== Lenten Black Fast ====
Historically, using the early Christian form known as the [[Black Fast]], the observant does not consume food for a whole day until the evening, and at sunset, Christians traditionally break the Lenten fast of that day with a [[Christian vegetarianism|vegetarian]] supper (no food or drink is consumed in a day apart from that in the [[Lenten supper]]).<ref name="Cléir2017">{{cite book|last=Cléir|first=Síle de|title=Popular Catholicism in 20th-Century Ireland: Locality, Identity and Culture|year=2017|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|language=en|isbn=978-1350020603|page=101|quote=Catherine Bell outlines the details of fasting and abstinence in a historical context, stating that the Advent fast was usually less severe than that carried out in Lent, which originally involved just one meal a day, not to be eaten until after sunset.}}</ref><ref name="GuérangerFromage1912">{{cite book|last1=Guéranger|first1=Prosper|last2=Fromage|first2=Lucien|title=The Liturgical Year: Lent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8RJDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA7 |access-date=7 February 2019 |year=1912|publisher=Burns, Oates & Washbourne|language=en |page=8|quote=St. Benedict's rule prescribed a great many fasts, over and above the ecclesiastical fast of Lent; but it made this great distinction between the two: that whilst Lent obliged the monks, as well as the rest of the faithful, to abstain from food till sunset, these monastic fasts allowed the repast to be taken at the hour of None.}}</ref><ref name="Butler"/><ref name="Kiernan"/> In [[India]] and [[Pakistan]], many Christians continue this practice of fasting until sunset on [[Ash Wednesday]] and [[Good Friday]], with many fasting in this manner throughout the whole season of Lent.<ref name="Addis2020">{{cite news |last1=Addis |first1=Richard |title=Goodbye to tasty treats as Lent begins |url=https://theday.co.uk/stories/goodbye-to-tasty-treats-as-lent-begins |newspaper=[[The Day (website)|The Day]] |access-date=17 March 2021 |language=English |date=26 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="Zaidi2022">{{cite web |last1=Zaidi |first1=Hiyah |title=What is Ash Wednesday 2023? When is day, Lent meaning, what is mass - is it connected to Shrove Tuesday |url=https://www.nationalworld.com/culture/ash-wednesday-2023-christian-observance-when-shrove-tuesday-meaning-lent-3584972 |publisher=National World |access-date=14 March 2024 |language=English |date=24 February 2022|quote=Some Christians choose to fast where Western Christians traditionally break the Lenten fast at sunset also known as the Black Fast. In countries such as India and Pakistan, some Christians fast until sunset on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with some manner of fasting within the 40 days of Lent.}}</ref>

==== Daniel Fast ====
Christians of various traditions, including Catholics and Methodists, have voluntarily undertaken the [[Daniel Fast]] during the season of Lent, in which one abstains from "meat, fish, egg, dairy products, chocolates, ice creams, sugar, sweets, wine or any alcoholic beverages" (cf. {{Bibleverse|Daniel|10:3|KJV}}).<ref name="RNS2013">{{cite news |title=Lent: Daniel Fast Gains Popularity |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/07/lent-daniel-fast-gains-popularity_n_2640352.html |accessdate=December 30, 2018 |work=HuffPost |agency=Religion News Service |date=February 7, 2013 |quote=In some cases, entire churches do the Daniel Fast together during Lent. The idea strikes a chord in Methodist traditions, which trace their heritage to John Wesley, a proponent of fasting. Leaders in the African Methodist Episcopal Church have urged churchgoers to do the Daniel Fast together, and congregations from Washington to Pennsylvania and Maryland have joined in.}}</ref><ref name="SMMRCC2021">{{cite web |title=Daniel Fast – Lent 2021 |url=http://www.stmarymagdalensa.org/daniel-fast-lent-2021/ |publisher=St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church |access-date=26 March 2022 |language=English |date=2021 |archive-date=13 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413083647/http://www.stmarymagdalensa.org/daniel-fast-lent-2021/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Hinton2016">{{cite web |last1=Hinton |first1=Carla |title=The Fast and the Faithful: Catholic parish in Oklahoma takes up Lenten discipline based on biblical Daniel's diet |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/religion/2016/02/20/fast-and-the-faithful-catholic-parish-oklahoma-takes-lenten-discipline-based-biblical-daniels-diet/60691130007/ |publisher=[[The Oklahoman]] |access-date=27 March 2022 |language=English |date=20 February 2016 |quote=Many parishioners at St. Philip Neri are participating in the Daniel fast, a religious diet program based on the fasting experiences of the Old Testament prophet Daniel. […] participating parishioners started the fast Ash Wednesday (Feb. 10) and will continue through Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.}}</ref>

==== Lenten supper ====
After attending a worship service (often on Wednesday and Friday evenings), it is common for Christians of various denominations to conclude that day's Lenten fast together through a communal [[Lenten supper]], which may be held in the church's [[parish hall]]. Lenten suppers ordinarily take place in the home setting during the 40 days of Lent during which a family (or individual) concludes that day's fast after a [[grace (prayer)|mealtime prayer]].<ref name="Lighthouse2018">{{cite web |title=The Lighthouse |url=http://christsaviorchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/02-2018-Church-Bulletin_email-version.pdf |publisher=Christ the Savior Orthodox Church |page=3 |language=English |date=2018 |access-date=17 February 2021 |archive-date=16 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216003633/https://christsaviorchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/02-2018-Church-Bulletin_email-version.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== Abstinence from meat and animal produce ====
[[File:Linsen-Möhren-Orangensuppe (5417587993).jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Lenten suppers often consist of a vegetarian soup, bread, and water in order to maintain the season's focus on abstinence, sacrifice, and simplicity.]]
Fasting has historically included abstinence from alcohol, meat, [[lacticinia]] (dairy products), and other edible produce derived from animals (such as eggs), which has been enjoined continuously for the whole duration of the season including Sundays.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Questions Regarding the Lenten Fast |date=1881 |publisher=Browne and Nolan |page=32 |language=English|journal=The Irish Ecclesiastical Record}}</ref><ref name="Kellner1908">{{cite book |last1=Kellner |first1=Karl Adam Heinrich |title=Heortology: A History of the Christian Festivals from Their Origin to the Present Day |date=1908 |publisher=K. Paul |page=99 |language=English}}</ref> Throughout [[Christendom]], some adherents continue to mark the season with a traditional abstention from the consumption of meat ([[Christian vegetarianism|vegetarianism]]), most notably among Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans.<ref name="ELCA1978"/><ref name="Gavitt1991"/> The form of abstention may vary depending on what is customary; some abstain from meat for 40 days, some do so only on Fridays, or some only on Good Friday itself.

In Catholicism, lacticinia may be consumed by penitents in Spain and its colonised territories, per a pontifical decree of [[Pope Alexander VI]]. Until 1741, meat and lacticinia were otherwise forbidden for the whole season of Lent, including Sundays. In that year, [[Pope Benedict XIV]] allowed for the consumption of meat and lacticinia during certain fasting days of Lent.<ref name="Thurston1904">{{cite book |last1=Thurston |first1=Herbert |title=Lent and Holy Week|date=1904 |publisher=[[Longmans, Green]] |page=57 |language=English}}</ref>

Abstinence from alcohol during the season of Lent has traditionally been enjoined "in remembrance of the Sacred Thirst of Our Lord on the Cross."<ref name="Kellner1908"/><ref>{{cite book |title=Regulations for Lent |date=1905 |publisher=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto]] |page=4 |language=English |quote=The Faithful are recommended during Lent to abstain from all intoxicating drinks in remembrance of the Sacred Thirst of Our Lord on the Cross.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Temperance: Total Abstinence During Lent |journal=[[The Sacred Heart Review]] |date=1900 |volume=23 |issue=10 |page=162}}</ref>

Dispensations for the allowance of certain foods have been given throughout history, depending on the climate in that part of the world. For example, [[Giraldus Cambrensis]], in his ''Itinerary of [[Baldwin of Forde|Archbishop Baldwin]] through [[Wales]]'', reports that "in [[Germany]] and the [[arctic]] regions", "great and religious persons" eat the tail of [[beaver]]s as "fish" because of its superficial resemblance to "both the taste and colour of fish." The animal was very abundant in Wales at the time.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1148 |title=Baldwin's Itinerary Through Wales No.&nbsp;2 by Giraldus Cambrensis |publisher=Gutenberg.org |date=31 December 2001 |access-date=27 August 2010}}</ref> [[Saint Thomas Aquinas]] allowed for the consumption of [[candy]] during Lent, because "sugared spices", such as [[comfits]], were, in his opinion, digestive aids on par with medicine rather than food.<ref>{{cite book |last=Richardson |first=Tim H. |title=Sweets: A History of Candy |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-58234-229-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/sweets00timr/page/147 147–148] |url=https://archive.org/details/sweets00timr/page/147 }}</ref>

Fasting practices are considerably relaxed in Western societies today, though in the Eastern Orthodox, [[Oriental Orthodox]], [[Eastern Catholic]], and [[Byzantine Rite Lutheranism|Eastern Lutheran]] Churches abstinence from all animal products including eggs, fish, fowl, and [[milk]] is still commonly practiced, so that, where this is observed, only vegetarian (or [[vegan]]) meals are consumed for the whole of Lent, 48 days in the [[Byzantine Rite]]. The [[Fasting and abstinence in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Church's practices]] require a fasting period that is a great deal longer, and there is some dispute over whether fish consumption is permissible.

In the traditions of Lent-observing Western Christian churches, abstinence from eating some form of food (generally meat, but not dairy or fish products) is distinguished from fasting. In principle, abstinence is to be observed in Western Christianity on Ash Wednesday and on every Friday of the year that is not a [[solemnity]] (a liturgical feast day of the highest rank); but in each country the [[episcopal conference]] can determine the form it is to take, perhaps replacing abstinence with other forms of penance.<ref name="canons"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cuf.org/2007/05/faith-fact-lent-discipline-and-history/|title=Catholics United for the Faith – Lent – Discipline and History – Teaching the Catholic Faith|work=Catholics United for the Faith – Catholics United for the Faith is an international lay apostolate founded to help the faithful learn what the Catholic Church teaches.}}</ref><ref>Colin B. Donovan, [http://www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/fast.htm Fast and Abstinence]. Retrieved 28 December 2007.</ref>

==== Sexual abstinence ====
The [[Coptic Orthodox Church]], a denomination of [[Oriental Orthodox Christianity]], teaches that during Lent believers "should refrain from physical relations to give themselves time for fasting and prayer ({{Bibleverse|1 Corinthians|7:5|KJV}})."<ref name="Samaan2024"/> Also, the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] enjoins abstinence from sexual relations during Lent.<ref name="Menzel2014">{{cite news |last1=Menzel |first1=Konstantinos |title=Abstaining From Sex Is Part of Fasting |newspaper=Greekreporter.com |url=https://greekreporter.com/2014/04/14/abstaining-from-sex-is-part-of-fasting/ |publisher=[[Greek Reporter]] |access-date=27 May 2021 |language=English |date=14 April 2014}}</ref>

In Western Christianity, through the [[Middle Ages]], Christians abstained from sexual relations during the whole of Lent.<ref name="Brundage2009">{{cite book |last1=Brundage |first1=James A. |title=Law, Sex, and Christian Society in Medieval Europe |date=15 February 2009 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-07789-5 |page=158 |language=English}}</ref> In view of this, nine months after Lent, birth records were drastically low.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rigors of Lent Have Eased With Time |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-25-me-35840-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=25 February 1995}}</ref> In Spain, according to researchers from the [[University of Valencia]] and the [[University of Alcalá|University of Alcalà]], the custom of abstaining from sexual relations was widely practiced until the end of the [[Franco regime|Franco régime]], though some Western Christians voluntarily continue this practice today.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Catholic precept of not having sex during Lent was maintained until the end of the Franco regime |url=https://ruvid.org/ri-world/the-catholic-precept-of-not-having-sex-during-lent-was-maintained-until-the-end-of-the-franco-regime/ |publisher=R&I World |access-date=27 May 2021 |language=English |date=11 June 2020}}</ref>

==== Specific fasting traditions by Christian denomination ====
===== Catholicism =====
{{further|Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church{{!}}Fasting in the Catholic Church}}
Prior to 1966, the Catholic Church allowed Catholics of fasting age to eat only one full meal a day throughout all forty days of Lent, except on the Lord's Day. Catholics were allowed to take a smaller meal, called a [[Collation (meal)|collation]], which was introduced after the 14th century A.D., and a cup of some beverage, accompanied by a little bread, in the morning.<ref>{{cite CE1913 |last=O'Neill |first=James David |wstitle=Fast |volume=5}}</ref> The [[1917 Code of Canon Law]] allowed the full meal on a fasting day to be taken at any hour and to be supplemented by two collations, with the quantity and the quality of the food to be determined by local custom. Abstinence from meat was to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays and Saturdays in Lent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0813/_P41.HTM|title=CIC 1917: text – IntraText CT|website=Intratext.com|access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref>

The Lenten fast ended on [[Holy Saturday]] at noon. Only those aged 21 to 59 were obliged to fast. As with all ecclesiastical laws, particular difficulties, such as strenuous work or illness, excused one from observance, and a dispensation from the law could be granted by a bishop or parish priest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0813/_P41.HTM|title=CIC 1917: text – IntraText CT|website=Intratext.com|access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref> A rule of thumb is that the two collations should not add up to the equivalent of another full meal. Rather portions were to be: "sufficient to sustain strength, but not sufficient to satisfy hunger."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gregson|first1=David|title=Fasting|url=http://www.ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=446700&Pg=&Pgnu=&recnu=|website=EWTN|publisher=[[Eternal Word Television Network]]|access-date=9 February 2015}}</ref>

In 1966, [[Pope Paul VI]] reduced the obligatory fasting days from all forty days of Lent to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, abstinence days to Fridays and Ash Wednesday, and allowed [[episcopal conference]]s to replace abstinence and fasting with other forms of penitence such as charity and piety, as declared and established in his [[apostolic constitution]] ''[[Paenitemini]]''; fasting on all forty days of Lent is still "strongly recommended", though not under pain of mortal sin.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rules for fast and abstinence |url=https://sspx.org/en/rules-fast-and-abstinence |publisher=[[SSPX]] |access-date=9 March 2021 |language=English |date=3 December 2014}}</ref> This was done so that those in countries where the standard of living is lower can replace fasting with prayer, but "…where economic well-being is greater, so much more will the witness of asceticism have to be given…"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-vi_apc_19660217_paenitemini.html|title=Paenitemini (February 17, 1966) – Paul VI|website=w2.vatican.va|access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref>

This was made part of the [[1983 Code of Canon Law]], which made obligatory fasting for those aged between 18 and 59, and abstinence for those aged 14 and upward.<ref name="canons">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4O.HTM|title=Code of Canon Law – IntraText|website=Vatican.va|access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref> The [[Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference]] decided to allow other forms of Friday penance to replace that of abstinence from meat, whether in Lent or outside Lent, suggesting alternatives such as abstaining from some other food, or from alcohol or smoking; making a special effort at participating in family prayer or in Mass; making the [[Stations of the Cross]]; or helping the poor, sick, old, or lonely.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicbishops.ie/2010/11/23/feature-friday-penance/|title=Friday Penance resource from ICBC|website=Catholicbishops.ie|access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref>

The [[Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales]] made a similar ruling in 1985<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/Penance/Abstinence.pdf|title=Fasting and Abstinence. Statement from the Bishops of England and Wales on Canons 1249–1253}}</ref> but decided in 2011 to restore the traditional year-round Friday abstinence from meat.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14929199|title=Catholics asked to abstain from meat for Friday penance|work=BBC News|date=16 September 2011}}</ref> The [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]] has maintained the rule of abstention from meat on Friday only during Lent and considers poultry to be a type of meat but not fish or shellfish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=639219&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2009&Author=&Keyword=fasting&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=1|title=EWTN Q & A, Response|website=Ewtn.com|access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Questions and Answers about Lent and Lenten Practices |url=http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/questions-and-answers-about-lent.cfm |website=usccb.org |access-date=February 26, 2020}}</ref>

The [[Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen]] (CMRI), a [[Sedevacantist Catholic]] congregation, requires fasting for its members on all of the forty days of the Christian season of repentance, Lent (except on the [[Lord's Day]]). The CMRI mandates under the pain of grave sin, abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and all Fridays of the year in general.<ref name="CMRI2018">{{cite web |title=The Church Laws of Fast and Abstinence |url=https://www.cmri-maine.org/2018/11/17/fasting-and-abstinence/ |publisher=Saint Theresa's Roman Catholic Church |access-date=2 March 2021 |language=English |date=17 November 2018}}</ref>

Even during Lent, the rule about solemnities holds, so that the obligation of Friday abstinence does not apply on 19 and 25 March when, as usually happens, the solemnities of [[Saint Joseph's Day#Catholic traditions|Saint Joseph]] and the [[Annunciation]] are celebrated on those dates. The same applies to [[Saint Patrick's Day]], which is a solemnity in the whole of Ireland as well as in dioceses that have [[Saint Patrick]] as their principal [[patron saint]]. In some other places, too, where there are strong Irish traditions within the Catholic community, a dispensation is granted for that day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2138120/ |title=Thou Shalt Eat Corned Beef on Friday: Who Sets the Rules on Lent? |last=Engber|first= Daniel |date=15 March 2006 |work=Slate |access-date=13 February 2010}}</ref> In [[Hong Kong]], where Ash Wednesday often coincides with [[Chinese New Year]] celebrations, a dispensation is then granted from the laws of fast and abstinence, and the faithful are exhorted to use some other form of penance.<ref name=HK>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholic.org.hk/v2/en/know/aknow_02.html|title=Penitential Days – Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong|access-date=31 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307113330/http://www.catholic.org.hk/v2/en/know/aknow_02.html|archive-date=7 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===== Lutheranism =====
Following the birth of Lutheranism in the [[Protestant Reformation]], Lutheran church orders in the 16th century "retained the observation of the Lenten fast, and Lutherans have observed this season with a serene, earnest attitude."<ref name="Gassmann 180">{{cite book|last=Gassmann|first=Günther|title=Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism |date=2001|publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc.|isbn=978-0810866201|page=180}}</ref> Many [[Lutheran]] churches advocate fasting during Lent,<ref name="GassmannOldenburg2011">{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism|last1=Gassmann|first1=Günther|last2=Oldenburg|first2=Mark W.|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year= 2011|isbn=978-0810874824|page=229|language=en|quote=In many Lutheran churches, the Sundays during the Lenten season are called by the first word of their respective Latin Introitus (with the exception of Palm/Passion Sunday): Invocavit,[sic] Reminiscere, Oculi, Laetare, and Judica. Many Lutheran church orders of the 16th century retained the observation of the Lenten fast, and Lutherans have observed this season with a serene, earnest attitude. Special days of eucharistic communion were set aside on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.}}</ref><ref>[http://www.lcms.org/pages/wPage.asp?ContentID=246&IssueID=19 What is the holiest season of the Church Year?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209190015/http://www.lcms.org/pages/wPage.asp?ContentID=246&IssueID=19 |date=9 February 2009 }}. Retrieved 3 February 2010. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090209190015/http://www.lcms.org/pages/wPage.asp?ContentID=246&IssueID=19 Archived copy] at the [[Internet Archive]]</ref> especially on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.<ref name="Hatch1978">{{cite book|last=Hatch|first=Jane M.|title=The American Book of Days|year=1978|publisher=Wilson|language=en|isbn=978-0824205935|page=[https://archive.org/details/americanbookofda00hatc/page/163 163]|quote=Special religious services are held on Ash Wednesday by the Church of England, and in the United States by Episcopal, Lutheran, and some other Protestant churches. The Episcopal Church prescribes no rules concerning fasting on Ash Wednesday, which is carried out according to members' personal wishes; however, it recommends a measure of fasting and abstinence as a suitable means of marking the day with proper devotion. Among Lutherans as well, there are no set rules for fasting, although some local congregations may advocate this form of penitence in varying degrees.|url=https://archive.org/details/americanbookofda00hatc/page/163}}</ref><ref name="GassmannOldenburg2011"/><ref name="Pfatteicher1990">{{cite book|last=Pfatteicher|first=Philip H.|title=Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context|year=1990|publisher=Augsburg Fortress Publishers|language=en |isbn=978-0800603922|pages=223–244, 260|quote=The Good Friday fast became the principal fast in the calendar, and even after the Reformation in Germany many Lutherans who observed no other fast scrupulously kept Good Friday with strict fasting.}}</ref><ref name="JacobsHaas1899">{{cite book|last1=Jacobs|first1=Henry Eyster|last2=Haas|first2=John Augustus William|title=The Lutheran Cyclopedia|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_93ErAAAAYAAJ|year=1899|publisher=Scribner|language=en|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_93ErAAAAYAAJ/page/n126 110]|quote=By many Lutherans Good Friday is observed as a strict fast. The lessons on Ash Wednesday emphasize the proper idea of the fast. The Sundays in Lent receive their names from the first words of their Introits in the Latin service, Invocavit, Reminiscere, Oculi, Lcetare, Judica.}}</ref> ''A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent'' published by the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]], a [[mainline Protestant|mainline]] Lutheran denomination, offers a number of guidelines for fasting, abstinence, and other forms of self-denial during Lent:<ref name="ELCA1978"/>
{{blockquote|
#Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with only one simple meal during the day, usually without meat.
#Refrain from eating meat (bloody foods) on all Fridays in Lent, substituting fish for example. 
#Eliminate a food or food group for the entire season. Especially consider saving rich and fatty foods for Easter. 
#Consider not eating before receiving Communion in Lent. 
#Abstain from or limit a favorite activity (television, movies etc.) for the entire season, and spend more time in prayer, Bible study, and reading devotional material.
#Don't just give up something that you have to give up for your doctor or diet anyway. Make your fast a voluntary self-denial (i.e. discipline) that you offer to God in prayer.<ref name="ELCA1978">{{cite web|url=http://www.ststephenlutheranchurch.org/pdf/Disciplines%20of%20Lent-%20Handbook.pdf|title=A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent|last=Weitzel|first=Thomas L.|year=1978|publisher=Evangelical Lutheran Church in America|language=en|access-date=17 March 2018|archive-date=17 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317164940/http://www.ststephenlutheranchurch.org/pdf/Disciplines%20of%20Lent-%20Handbook.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
The [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]], a [[Confessional Lutheranism|confessional Lutheran]] denomination, likewise encourages (but does not require) members to give things up for Lent, while emphasizing that the purpose of Lent is repentance from sin rather than minor acts of self-denial in themselves.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lcms.org/about/beliefs/faqs/worship-and-congregational-life|title=Frequently Asked Questions — Worship & Congregational Life|access-date=12 April 2022|publisher=Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://witness.lcms.org/2018/what-to-give-up-for-lent|last=Petesen|first=David|title=What to Give up for Lent?|date=13 February 2018|access-date=12 April 2022|publisher=Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod|language=en}}</ref>

===== Moravian Church =====
Members of the [[Moravian Church]] voluntarily fast during the season of Lent, along with making a [[Lenten sacrifice]] for the season as a form of penitence.<ref name="NHMC2021">{{cite web |title=Lent: 40 Days of Spiritual Renewal |url=https://www.newhopemoravian.org/holy-days.html |publisher=New Hope Moravian Church |access-date=17 February 2021 |language=English |archive-date=12 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512140401/https://newhopemoravian.org/holy-days.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===== Reformed Churches =====
[[John Calvin]], the principal figure in the development of Reformed theology, critiqued the practice of Lent in his [[Institutes of the Christian Religion]] as a "superstitious observance," and observed that "Christ did not fast repeatedly (which he must have done had he meant to lay down a law for an anniversary fast), but once only, when preparing for the promulgation of the gospel."<ref>{{cite book|last=Calvin|first=John|translator-last=Beveridge|translator-first=Henry|title= Institutes of the Christian Religion|date=1536}}</ref> Similarly, leading Reformed divines such as [[Samuel Rutherford]] rejected the obligation of Lent.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rutherford|first=Samuel|title= Lex, Rex, Or The Law And The Prince: A Dispute For The Just Prerogative Of King And People|date=1643|page=181}},</ref>

The [[Directory for Public Worship]] produced by the [[Westminster Assembly]] in 1644 and approved by the [[Scottish Parliament]] in 1645 takes the position that "[t]here is no day commanded in scripture to be kept holy under the gospel but the Lord’s day, which is the Christian Sabbath," and approves of fasting specifically "upon special emergent occasions" (cf. [[days of humiliation and thanksgiving]]).<ref>{{cite book|title= Directory for the Public Worship of God|publisher=The Westminster Assembly|date=1645|location=Chapter XIV}}</ref> Accordingly, and in keeping with the Reformed [[regulative principle of worship]], the Reformed churches have historically not observed Lent.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clark|first=R. Scott|title=With The Reformed Pubcast On Lent And Sola Scriptura|quote=According to the western church calendar this is the Lenten season (the 40 days from 'Shrove Tuesday' to Easter) and it is being more widely observed within NAPARC. This is worth noting since, historically, most Reformed churches have not observed Lent and have often confessed against it as an infringement of Christian liberty and contrary to the formal principle of the Reformation, ''sola scriptura''.|url=https://heidelblog.net/2017/03/with-the-reformed-pubcast-on-lent-and-sola-scriptura|publisher=The Heidelblog|date=14 March 2017}}</ref>

Some churches in the Reformed tradition observe Lent today.<ref name="EB1911"/> For example, the [[Reformed Church in America]], a Mainline Protestant denomination, describes the first day of Lent, [[Ash Wednesday]], as a day "focused on prayer, fasting, and repentance," encouraging members to "observe a Holy Lent, by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by practicing works of love, and by reading and reflecting on God's Holy Word."<ref name="RCA2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.rca.org/resources/ash-wednesday|title=Ash Wednesday|year=2018|publisher=[[Reformed Church in America]]|language=en|access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref>
Among Reformed Christians who do observe Lent, [[Good Friday]], which is towards the end of the Lenten season, is an important day of communal fasting, as it is for many Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Methodists.<ref name="RipleyDana1883"/>

===== Anglican Churches =====
In the [[Anglo-Catholic]] wing of the [[Anglican Communion]], the [[Saint Augustine's Prayer Book]], a companion to the [[Book of Common Prayer]], states that fasting is "usually meaning not more than a light breakfast, one full meal, and one half meal, on the forty days of Lent."<ref name="Gavitt1991">{{cite book|last=Gavitt|first=Loren Nichols|title=Traditional Saint Augustine's Prayer Book: A Book of Devotion for Members of the Anglican Communion|year=1991|publisher=Holy Cross Publications}}</ref> It further states that "the major Fast Days of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as the American Prayer-Book indicates, are stricter in obligation, though not in observance, than the other Fast Days, and therefore should not be neglected except in cases of serious illness or other necessity of an absolute character."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Church's Discipline as to Fasting and Abstinence|url=http://www.episcopalnet.org/TRACTS/fasting.html|publisher=Anglican Communion|access-date=3 March 2014}}</ref>

===== Methodist Churches =====
The historic Methodist homilies regarding the [[Sermon on the Mount]] stress the importance of the Lenten fast, which begins on Ash Wednesday.<ref name="AbrahamKirby2009">{{cite book|last1=Abraham|first1=William J.|last2=Kirby|first2=James E.|title=The Oxford Handbook of Methodist Studies|year=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-160743-1|pages=257–}}</ref> The [[United Methodist Church]] therefore states that:
{{blockquote|There is a strong biblical base for fasting, particularly during the 40 days of Lent leading to the celebration of Easter. Jesus, as part of his spiritual preparation, went into the wilderness and fasted 40 days and 40 nights, according to the Gospels.<ref name="UMCFasting2017">{{cite web|url=http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/what-does-the-united-methodist-church-say-about-fasting|title=What does The United Methodist Church say about fasting?|publisher=The United Methodist Church|language=en|access-date=1 March 2017}}</ref>}}
[[Good Friday]], which is towards the end of the Lenten season, is traditionally an important day of communal fasting for Methodists.<ref name="RipleyDana1883">{{cite book|last1=Ripley|first1=George|last2=Dana|first2=Charles Anderson|title=The American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary for General Knowledge|url=https://archive.org/details/americancyclopa06danagoog|year=1883|publisher=D. Appleton and Company|language=en |page=[https://archive.org/details/americancyclopa06danagoog/page/n108 101]|quote=The Protestant Episcopal, Lutheran, and Reformed churches, as well as many Methodists, observe the day by fasting and special services.}}</ref> Rev. Jacqui King, the minister of Nu Faith Community United Methodist Church in Houston explained the philosophy of fasting during Lent as "I'm not skipping a meal because in place of that meal I'm actually dining with God."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.umc.org/resources/lent-a-time-to-fast-and-pray|title=Lent: A Time to Fast and Pray|last=Chavez|first=Kathrin|year=2010|publisher=The United Methodist Church|language=en|access-date=1 March 2017}}</ref>

The United Methodist Church teaches, in reference to one's [[Lenten sacrifice]], that "On each Lord's Day in Lent, while Lenten fasts continue, the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection."<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Lent and why does it last forty days? |url=https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-is-lent-and-why-does-it-last-forty-days |publisher=[[The United Methodist Church]] |access-date=8 March 2021 |language=English}}</ref>

==== Other related fasting periods ====
[[File:Ashes_to_Go_at_Palmer_Memorial_Episcopal_Church.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The season of Lent begins on [[Ash Wednesday]], most notably by the public imposition of ashes. In this photograph, a woman receives a cross of ashes on Ash Wednesday outside an Anglican church.]]
[[File:Ash_Wednesday_Mass_at_Nazareth_Evangelical_Lutheran_Church.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A Lutheran pastor distributes ashes during the [[Divine Service (Lutheran)|Divine Service]] on Ash Wednesday.]]
The number 40 has many Biblical references:
*[[Moses]] spent 40 days on [[Biblical Mount Sinai|Mount Sinai]] with [[God in Christianity|God]]<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|24:18|HE}}</ref>
*[[Elijah]] spent 40 days and nights walking to [[Mount Horeb]]<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Kings|19:8|HE}}</ref>
* God sent 40 days and nights of rain in the great flood of [[Noah]]<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|7:4|HE}}</ref>
* The Hebrew people wandered 40 years in the desert while traveling to the [[Promised Land]]<ref>{{bibleverse||Numbers|14:33|HE}}</ref>
*[[Jonah]]'s prophecy of [[judgment]] gave 40 days to the city of [[Nineveh]] in which to repent or be destroyed<ref>{{bibleverse||Jonah|3:4|HE}}</ref>
* Jesus retreated into the wilderness, where He fasted for 40 days, and was [[Temptation of Christ|tempted]] by the [[Devil in Christianity|devil]].<ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|4:1–2|KJV}}, {{bibleverse||Mark|1:12–13|KJV}}, {{bibleverse||Luke|4:1–2|KJV}})</ref> He overcame all three of Satan's [[temptation]]s by citing scripture to the devil, at which point the devil left him, angels ministered to Jesus, and He began His [[Christian ministry|ministry]]. Jesus further said that His disciples should fast "when the bridegroom shall be taken from them",<ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|9:15|KJV}}</ref> a reference to his Passion. 
* It is the traditional belief that Jesus lay for 40 hours in the tomb,<ref name="RC-en-lent-duration" /> which led to the 40 hours of total fasting that preceded the Easter celebration in the [[Early Christianity|early Church]]<ref>Lent & Beyond: Dr. Peter Toon – From Septuagesima to Quadragesima (web site gone, no alternate source found, originally cited 27 August 2010)</ref> (the biblical reference to 'three days in the tomb' is understood by them as ''spanning'' three days, from Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning, rather than three 24-hour periods of time). Some Christian denominations, such as The Way International and Logos Apostolic Church of God,<ref>{{Citation | title = Jesus Was Literally Three Days and Three Nights in the Grave | publisher = www.logosapostolic.org| url = http://www.logosapostolic.org/bible_study/RP208-2ThreeDaysNights.htm | access-date = 23 March 2011}}</ref> as well as [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] scholar [[E. W. Bullinger]] in ''The Companion Bible'', believe Christ was in the grave for a total of 72 hours, reflecting the [[Typology (theology)|type]] of Jonah in the belly of the whale.<ref>{{cite news | last =Burke | first= Daniel | title = Just How Long Did Jesus Stay in the Tomb? | publisher = www.huffingtonpost.com | date =13 April 2011 | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/13/just-how-long-did-jesus-s_n_848872.html | access-date =23 March 2015}}</ref>

One of the most important ceremonies at Easter is the [[baptism]] of the initiates on Easter Eve. The fast was initially undertaken by the [[catechumen]]s to prepare them for the reception of this [[sacrament]]. Later, the period of fasting from [[Good Friday]] until Easter Day was extended to six days, to correspond with the six weeks of training necessary to give the final instruction to those [[Religious conversion|converts]] who were to be baptized.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

[[Conversion to Christianity|Converts to Christianity]] followed a strict [[catechumenate]] or period of instruction and discipline prior to receiving the [[sacrament]] of [[baptism]], sometimes lasting up to three years.<ref name="Hinson1981">{{cite book|last=Hinson|first=E. Glenn|title=The Evangelization of the Roman Empire: Identity and Adaptability|date=1981|publisher=Mercer University Press|language=en|isbn=978-0865540149|quote=Like its parent, Judaism, earliest Christianity had a catechism for its converts, as much recent study has proven. […] Hippolytus required up to three years' instruction before baptism, shortened by a candidate's progress in developing Christian character.}}</ref> In [[Jerusalem]] near the close of the fourth century, classes were held throughout Lent for three hours each day. With the legalization of Christianity (by the [[Edict of Milan]]) and its later imposition as the [[state religion]] of the [[Roman Empire]], its character was endangered by the great influx of new members. In response, the Lenten fast and practices of [[Asceticism#Christianity|self-renunciation]] were required annually of all Christians, both to show solidarity with the catechumens, and for their own spiritual benefit.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

=== Almsgiving ===
In addition to fasting and the [[Lenten sacrifice]], the period of Lent is traditionally a time of [[almsgiving]], when Christians are encouraged to donate the value of what they forego during Lent.

=== Prayer and devotion ===
A common practice is the singing of the [[Stabat Mater]] hymn in designated groups. Among [[Catholic Church in the Philippines|Filipino Catholics]], the recitation of the epic of Christ' passion, called ''[[Pasiong Mahal]]'', is also observed. In many Christian countries, grand religious processions and cultural customs are observed,<ref>{{cite web |title=What Are the Main Worship Services during Lent and Holy Week? |url=https://anglicancompass.com/what-are-the-main-worship-services-during-lent-and-holy-week/ |publisher=Anglican Compass |access-date=13 April 2022 |language=English |date=20 February 2020 |quote=If you are new to Lent, you can go to any Anglican, Lutheran, or Roman Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday. […] Many services on Palm Sunday begin with “the Procession of the Palms,” where worshipers hold palm branches as they process into the church.}}</ref> such as the [[Stations of the Cross]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Stations of the Cross to return to Calvary UMC |url=https://www.newstribune.info/story/news/2022/04/12/stations-cross-return-calvary-umc/7282990001/ |publisher=[[Mineral Daily News-Tribune]] |access-date=13 April 2022 |language=English |date=12 April 2022 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> A custom of [[Seven Churches Visitation|visiting seven churches]] during Holy Week to pray the Stations of the Cross and praying at each church, exists and has been done in an ecumenical context, involving Christians of the Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal and [[Salvation Army|Salvationist]] traditions, among others.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stations of the Cross Walk returning to Parkersburg |url=https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/community-news/2022/04/stations-of-the-cross-walk-returning-to-parkersburg/ |publisher=[[The Parkersburg News and Sentinel]] |access-date=13 April 2022 |language=English |date=5 April 2022}}</ref>

==== Omission of Gloria and Alleluia ====
The ''[[Gloria in excelsis Deo]]'', which is usually said or sung on Sundays at [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] (or Communion) of the [[Roman Rite|Roman]], [[Lutheran]] and [[Anglicanism|Anglican rites]], is omitted on the Sundays of Lent (as well as Sundays of Advent), but continues in use on [[solemnity|solemnities]] and [[Ranking of liturgical days in the Roman Rite|feasts]] and on special celebrations of a more solemn kind.<ref name="Block2019">{{cite web |last1=Block |first1=Mathew |title="Glory to God in the Highest" - Where Did it Go? |url=https://ilc-online.org/2019/12/24/glory-to-god-in-the-highest-where-did-it-go/ |publisher=[[International Lutheran Council]] |access-date=17 March 2021 |language=English |date=24 December 2019}}</ref><ref>[[General Instruction of the Roman Missal]], 53</ref> Some [[Mass (music)|Mass compositions]] were written especially for Lent, such as Michael Haydn's ''[[Missa tempore Quadragesimae (Michael Haydn)|Missa tempore Quadragesimae]]'', without Gloria, in D minor, and for modest forces, only choir and organ. The Gloria is used on [[Maundy Thursday]], to the accompaniment of bells, which then fall silent until the ''Gloria in excelsis'' of the [[Easter Vigil]].<ref>Roman Missal, Thursday of the Lord's Supper, 7</ref>

The Lutheran [[Divine Service (Lutheran)|Divine Service]], the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, the Anglican Churches, and the Presbyterian service of worship associate the ''[[Alleluia]]'' with joy and omit it entirely throughout Lent,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Why_don't_we_use_alleluias_during_Lent.pdf|title=Why don't we use alleluias during Lent?|year=2013|publisher=[[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]]|language=en|access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref><ref name="Jr.2002">{{cite book|last=Weaver|first=J. Dudley Jr.|title=Presbyterian Worship: A Guide for Clergy|year=2002|publisher=Geneva Press|language=en |isbn=978-0664502188|page=106|quote=The alleluia is traditionally not sung during Lent, and, here at the first service of Easter, it is at last reintroduced to the church's liturgy.}}</ref> not only at Mass but also in the [[canonical hours]] and outside the liturgy. The word "Alleluia" at the beginning and end of the Acclamation Before the [[Gospel (liturgy)|Gospel]] at Mass is replaced by another phrase.

Before 1970, the omission began with [[Septuagesima]], and the whole Acclamation was omitted and was replaced by a [[Tract (liturgy)|Tract]]; and in the [[Liturgy of the Hours]] the word "Alleluia", normally added to the ''[[Gloria Patri]]'' at the beginning of each Hour – now simply omitted during Lent – was replaced by the phrase ''Laus tibi, Domine, rex aeternae gloriae (Praise to you, O Lord, king of eternal glory)''.

Until the [[Ambrosian Rite]] was revised by Saint [[Charles Borromeo]] the liturgy of the First Sunday of Lent was festive, celebrated with chanting of the Gloria and Alleluia, in line with the recommendation in Matthew 6:16, "When you fast, do not look gloomy."<ref name=Thouret/><ref name="RC-en-lent-duration"/><ref name=Initii/>

In the [[Byzantine Rite]], the Gloria ([[Great Doxology]]) continues to be used in its normal place in the [[Matins]] service, and the Alleluia appears all the more frequently, replacing "God is the Lord" at Matins.

==== Veiling of religious images ====
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2021}}
[[File:Minister prostrates at the start of United Methodist Good Friday liturgy.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|A Methodist minister [[Prostration|prostrates]] at the start of the [[Good Friday]] liturgy at Holy Family Church, in accordance with the rubrics in the [[The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992)|Book of Worship]]. The [[processional cross]] is veiled in black, the liturgical colour associated with Good Friday in Methodist Churches.]]
[[File:Lenten shrouds.jpeg|thumb|upright=0.9|Statues and icons veiled in violet shrouds for [[Passiontide]] in [[St Pancras Church, Ipswich]], England]]
[[File:StMartin43-53.JPG|thumb|left|upright=0.9|A [[crucifix]] on the high altar is veiled for Lent. Saint Martin's parish, [[Württemberg]], Germany]]
In certain majority-[[Christian state]]s, in which liturgical forms of Christianity predominate, religious objects were traditionally veiled for the entire 40 days of Lent. Though perhaps uncommon{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} in the United States of America,{{relevant inline|date=March 2024}} this practice is consistently observed in [[Goa, India|Goa]], Malta, Peru, the Philippines (the latter only for the entire duration of Holy Week, with the exception of processional images), and in the Spanish cities: [[Barcelona]], [[Málaga]], and [[Seville]]. In Ireland, before [[Vatican II]], when impoverished rural Catholic convents and parishes could not afford purple fabrics, they resorted to either removing the statues altogether or, if too heavy or bothersome, turned the statues to face the wall. As is popular custom, the 14 [[Stations of the Cross]] plaques on the walls are not veiled.

Crosses were often adorned with jewels and gemstones, the form referred to as ''Crux Gemmata''. To keep the faithful from adoring elaborately-ornamented crucifixes, churches began veiling them in purple fabrics. The violet colour later came to symbolize penance and mourning.

Further liturgical changes in modernity reduced such observances to the last week of [[Passiontide]]. In parishes that could afford only small quantities of violet fabrics, only the heads of the statues were veiled. If no violet fabrics could be afforded at all, then the religious statues and images were turned around facing the wall. Flowers were removed as a sign of solemn mourning.

In the [[Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965)|pre-1992 Methodist liturgy]] and pre-1970 forms of the Roman Rite, the last two weeks of Lent are known as [[Passiontide]], a period beginning on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, which in the 1962 edition of the [[Roman Missal]] is called the First Sunday in Passiontide and in earlier editions Passion Sunday. All statues (and in England paintings as well) in the church were traditionally veiled in violet. This was seen as in keeping with John 8:46–59, the Gospel of that Sunday, in which Jesus "hid himself" from the people.

Within many churches in the United States of America, after the Second Vatican Council, the need to veil statues or crosses became increasingly irrelevant and was deemed unnecessary by some [[diocesan]] bishops. As a result, the veils were removed at the singing of the [[Gloria in Excelsis Deo]] during the Easter Vigil. In 1970, the name "Passiontide" was dropped, although the last two weeks are markedly different from the rest of the season, and continuance of the tradition of veiling images is left to the discretion of a country's conference of bishops or even to individual parishes as pastors may wish.

On [[Good Friday]], the Anglican, Lutheran, and Methodist churches traditionally veiled "all pictures, statutes, and the cross are covered in mourning black", while "the chancel and altar coverings are replaced with black, and altar candles are extinguished." The fabrics are then "replaced with white on [[sunrise]] on [[Easter Sunday]]."<ref>{{cite web|last=Bratcher|first=Dennis|title=The Days of Holy Week|url=http://www.crivoice.org/cyholyweek.html|publisher=CRI|year=2015}}</ref>

=== Vestments ===
[[File:Chancel on Maundy Thursday.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|The [[chancel]] of a [[Lutheran]] church decorated with red [[parament]]s, the liturgical colour of the last week of Lent, [[Holy Week]], in the Lutheran and Anglican Churches<ref name="Gally1989">{{cite book|last=Gally|first=Howard E.|title=Ceremonies of the Eucharist|year= 1989|publisher=Cowley Publications|language=en|isbn=978-1461660521|page=45|quote=In recent decades there has been a revival of the ancient use of red (crimson or scarlet) for Holy Week among both Episcopalians and Lutherans. The Roman Rite has restored the use of red only on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.}}</ref>]]
In the Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and many Anglican churches, pastors and priests wear violet vestments during the season of Lent.<ref name="Escue2000">{{cite web |last1=Escue |first1=Doug |title=The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd |url=http://www.goodshepherdmankato.org/worship/lectionary/liturgyparts/liturgicalcolors/index.html |publisher=Good Shepherd Lutheran Church & School |access-date=17 April 2022 |language=English |date=2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Krohner |first1=Susan |title=Lent |url=https://avonunitedmethodist.com/content.cfm?id=423 |publisher=Memorial United Methodist Church|quote=The liturgical color is violet, except on Good Friday when it is black.  You will see the violet on our minister (her stole), on the altar (the paraments), on the banner […]}}</ref> Catholic priests wear white vestments on solemnity days for St. Joseph (March 19) and the Annunciation (March 25), although these solemnities are transferred to another date if they fall on a Sunday during Lent or at any time during Holy Week. On the fourth Sunday of Lent, rose-coloured (pink) vestments may be worn in lieu of violet. Historically, black was also used: [[Pope Innocent III]] declared black to be the proper color for Lent, though [[Durandus of Saint-Pourçain]] asserted violet was preferable to black.<ref>Kellner, K. A. H. (1908). ''[https://archive.org/details/heortologyhistor00kelluoft/page/430 <!-- quote=black vestments during advent history. --> Heortology: A History of the Christian Festivals from Their Origin to the Present Day]'' Kegan Paul Trench Trubner & Co Limited. p. 430.</ref>

In some Anglican churches, a type of unbleached linen or muslin known as "Lenten array" is worn during the first three weeks of Lent, crimson is worn during Passiontide, and on holy days, the colour proper to the day is worn.<ref>The Church of England rubric states: "The colour for a particular service should reflect the predominant theme. If the Collect, Readings, etc. on a Lesser Festival are those of the saint, then either red (for a martyr) or white is used; otherwise, the colour of the season is retained." See [http://www.churchofengland.org/media/41133/mvlectionary524-591.pdf p. 532 here].</ref> In certain other Anglican churches, as an alternative to violet for all of Lent except Holy Week and red beginning on Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday, Lenten array, typically made of sackcloth such as burlap and trimmed with crimson cloth, often velvet, is worn, even during Holy Week—since the sackcloth represents penance and the crimson edges represent the Passion of Christ. Even the veils that cover the altar crosses or crucifixes and statuary (if any) are made of the same sackcloth with the crimson trim.