Lent....

Lent is a period of time preparing for the most important holy day of the Christian calendar, Easter (not Christmas as people like to think). Lent ends on Easter, this year April 8th, and started on Ash Wednesday, just past on February 21st. Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Due to the lunar aspects of this holiday and the lunar aspects of Chinese New Year (I don't know how CNY is calculated) it is interesting to note that CNY fell in the few days just preceding Lent. The last day of CNY was on Fat Tuesday. I don't know if that is always the case, and I will try to figure it all out one day.

The length of Lent relates to the traditional biblical periods of 40 days despite it being 46 days since the "period" excludes the six Sundays...

There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigor during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbor). Today, some people give up something they enjoy, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.

Every Lent, I usually give up something. In the past, I have given up coffee and/or alcohol. This Lent I am giving up alcohol except a Chateau Lafite wine dinner that I am attending on March 8th. But like in all Christian celebrations, it is left up to the individual to decide what is most appropriate for them within their own personal relationship with God.