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Historians generally agree that the 40-day period before Easter, known as Lent, emerged shortly following the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Earliest observances of Lent seem to have focused particularly on the practice of fasting. Council records suggest that the fast applied at first mainly to new converts as a period of repentance and reflection before baptism at Easter. In any case, Lent quickly became a general practice churchwide. The actual 40-day period varied region-to-region, even church-to-church; some including weekends, some not; some fasting Sundays, others not. But in every case, the fast was strict: one meal a day after 3 PM with no meat, fish, or dairy. It was Pope Gregory I (590 - 604) who finally regularized the period of the fast churchwide, to begin on a Wednesday 46 days before Easter with a ceremony of ash, and not to include Sundays, which were perennial days of celebration.

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Following Nicea, Lenten practices remained essentially unchanged for centuries. However, by the 800s, the strictness of the fast began to relax. By the 1400s, Christians had begun eating the one meal earlier in the day, and later began to add a smaller meal to keep up their strength for work. Eventually, the one-meal restriction was lifted altogether, and new practices emerged, like the idea of giving up some luxury or need as a personal sacrifice for the season. Over time, "giving something up" became the centerpiece of Lent.

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But over the years, Lent has become less strict in almost every western tradition. In the Catholic Church, for example, the number of obligatory fasting days decreased incrementally from six days a week to three, and then eventually, to just two in the whole season of Lent: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The well known "fish on Friday" tradition began in the United States in 1966 when the Pope affirmed the abstinence from "flesh" on Fridays. In every tradition, however, the act of "giving something up" has remained strong. For all of these changes, though, the tradition of Lent is still largely recognizable to what it was nearly 2,000 years ago.

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AGC said:

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Depends on the tradition. Our Anglican parish does a communal fast from meats, sweets, and alcohol except feast days (most weeks are six days of fasting). As with most fasts, it has to be appropriate to the practitioner. My kids and wife need meat or they get anemic so they're not as strict.

Our family adds additional practices depending on the person. My wife is fasting today. I change my lunches to be very simple so that I have 45 minutes to pray through our church prayer list and those from my men's group.

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Thaddeus73 said:

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Giving up booze used to be hard for me, but somehow, it's not so hard during Lent...

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10andBOUNCE said:

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Definitely not opposed to lent, but have not dabbled much in it myself. Curious if anyone actually practices the more historical/traditional way? Please correct me if I have any of the history wrong below. Overall there seems to be a general progressive movement when you objectively analyze the history of it over the centuries.

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Historians generally agree that the 40-day period before Easter, known as Lent, emerged shortly following the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Earliest observances of Lent seem to have focused particularly on the practice of fasting. Council records suggest that the fast applied at first mainly to new converts as a period of repentance and reflection before baptism at Easter. In any case, Lent quickly became a general practice churchwide. The actual 40-day period varied region-to-region, even church-to-church; some including weekends, some not; some fasting Sundays, others not. But in every case, the fast was strict: one meal a day after 3 PM with no meat, fish, or dairy. It was Pope Gregory I (590 - 604) who finally regularized the period of the fast churchwide, to begin on a Wednesday 46 days before Easter with a ceremony of ash, and not to include Sundays, which were perennial days of celebration.

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Quote:

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Following Nicea, Lenten practices remained essentially unchanged for centuries. However, by the 800s, the strictness of the fast began to relax. By the 1400s, Christians had begun eating the one meal earlier in the day, and later began to add a smaller meal to keep up their strength for work. Eventually, the one-meal restriction was lifted altogether, and new practices emerged, like the idea of giving up some luxury or need as a personal sacrifice for the season. Over time, "giving something up" became the centerpiece of Lent.

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Quote:

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But over the years, Lent has become less strict in almost every western tradition. In the Catholic Church, for example, the number of obligatory fasting days decreased incrementally from six days a week to three, and then eventually, to just two in the whole season of Lent: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The well known "fish on Friday" tradition began in the United States in 1966 when the Pope affirmed the abstinence from "flesh" on Fridays. In every tradition, however, the act of "giving something up" has remained strong. For all of these changes, though, the tradition of Lent is still largely recognizable to what it was nearly 2,000 years ago.

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https://groundworkonline.com/blog/a-short-version-of-the-long-history-of-lent

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Zobel said:

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It isn't that difficult once you get used to it. Hardest part is figuring out what to make, since your usual rotation is completely out the window.

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dermdoc said:

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I love Lent. I like to reflect on the goodness of God and all He has done for me. Instead of giving up something, an old pastor friend of mine sends me a calendar of intentional things to do.

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Bumpy_2112 said:

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Awesome, thank you.

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What a Life Lesson pic.twitter.com/0HEfrHJZGs

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