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:''"Quaresma" redirects here. For the Portuguese footballer, see ].'' |
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{{two other uses|the observance of Lent in Western Christianity|Lent in Orthodox Christianity|Great Lent}} |
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] in Lent (Pfarrkirche St. Martin in ], ], Germany).]] |
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'''Lent''' in the ] tradition, is the period of the ] from ] to ]. Lent is a time of sacrifice for Jesus. |
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The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through ], ], ] and ] — for the annual commemoration during ] of the ], which recalls the events linked to the ] and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the ]. |
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According to the ] of ], ] and ], ] spent forty days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his ], where he ] by ].<ref name="UMC - Lent">{{cite web|url = http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=2870| title = What is Lent and why does it last forty days? |publisher = The United Methodist Church|accessdate = 24 August 2007}}</ref><ref name="The Anglican Catholic Church">{{cite web|url = http://www.anglicancatholic.org/dmas/litdescp.html| title = The Liturgical Year|publisher = The Anglican Catholic Church|accessdate = 24 August 2007}}</ref> |
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Thus, Lent is described as being forty days long, though different ] calculate the forty days differently. |
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This practice is common to much of ], being celebrated by ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, and ].<ref name="Denominations 1">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=oTtcFiGbW2kC&pg=PA98&dq=lent+lutheran+catholic+methodist&hl=en&ei=4NF2Tf3LLsL_rAGmtoBf&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=lent%20lutheran%20catholic%20methodist&f=false| title = Comparative Religion For Dummies|publisher = ]|accessdate = 08 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="Denominations 1">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=oTtcFiGbW2kC&pg=PA98&dq=lent+lutheran+catholic+methodist&hl=en&ei=4NF2Tf3LLsL_rAGmtoBf&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=lent%20lutheran%20catholic%20methodist&f=false| title = Comparative Religion For Dummies|publisher = ]|quote=This is the day Lent begins. Christians go to church to pray and have a cross drawn in ashes on their foreheads. The ashes drawn on ancient tradition represent repentence before God. The holiday is part of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopalian liturgies, among others.|accessdate = 08 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="Denominations 2">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=oTtcFiGbW2kC&pg=PA98&dq=lent+lutheran+catholic+methodist&hl=en&ei=4NF2Tf3LLsL_rAGmtoBf&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=lent%20lutheran%20catholic%20methodist&f=false|author=William P. Lazarus, Mark Sullivan| title = Comparative Religion For Dummies|publisher = ]|accessdate = 08 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="Denominations 2">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=u2ZV_f4uZUEC&pg=PA137&dq=lent+lutheran+catholic+methodist&hl=en&ei=4NF2Tf3LLsL_rAGmtoBf&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=lent%20lutheran%20catholic%20methodist&f=false| title = An Ecofeminist Perspective on Ash Wednesday and Lent|publisher = Peter Lang|quote=In the twentieth century, the imposition of ashes became part of the liturgical experience of not only Roman Catholics, but Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans as well.|author=Sylvia A. Sweeney|accessdate = 08 March 2011}}</ref> |
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==Duration== |
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Most followers of ] observe Lent beginning on ] and concluding on ].<ref name="The Anglican Catholic Church" /><ref>{{Cite document |
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| last =Thurston |
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| first =Herbert |
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| contribution =Lent |
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| year =1910 |
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| title =] |
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| volume =IX |
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| place =New York |
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| publisher =Robert Appleton Company |
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| url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09152a.htm |
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| accessdate = 15 February 2008 |
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| postscript =<!--None-->}}</ref> |
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The six ]s in this period are not counted because each one represents a "mini-]," a celebration of Jesus' victory over ] and ].<ref name="UMC - Lent" /> |
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One notable exception is the ] which follows the ] and observes Lent starting on the Sunday, 6 weeks before Easter.<ref name="RC-en-lent-duration"> See paragraph: Duration of the Fast</ref> |
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Since the ], the ] has redefined ] & Holy Saturday as the first two days of the ] rather than the last two days of ], but Lenten observances are maintained until the ]. |
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In those churches which follow the ] (e.g. ] and ]), the forty days of Lent are counted differently; also, the date of Pascha (Easter) is calculated differently in the East than in the West (see ]). The fast begins on ], and Sundays are included in the count; thus, counting uninterruptedly from Clean Monday, Great Lent ends on the fortieth consecutive day, which is the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of ], ] and ] are considered a distinct period of fasting. For more detailed information about the ] practice of Lent, see the article ]. |
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Amongst ] Christians, there are various local traditions regarding Lent. The ], ] and ]es observe eight weeks of Lent, which, with both Saturdays and Sundays exempt, has forty days of fasting.<ref name="RC-en-lent-duration" /> ] and the week preceding it are counted separately from the forty day fast in accordance with the ] giving an extra eight days. The first seven days of the fast are considered by some to be an optional time of preparation.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} Others attribute these seven days to the fast of ] who asked the Syrian Christians to fast for him after they requested his assistance to repel the invading pagan Persians. |
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==Other related fasting periods== |
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The number forty has many Biblical references: the forty days ] spent on ] with ] ({{bibleverse||Exodus|24:18|HE}}); the forty days and nights ] spent walking to ] ({{bibleverse|1|Kings|19:8|HE}}); the forty days and nights God sent rain in the great flood of ] ({{bibleverse||Genesis|7:4|HE}}); the forty years the Hebrew people wandered in the desert while traveling to the ] ({{bibleverse||Numbers|14:33|HE}}); the forty days ] in his prophecy of ] gave the city of ] in which to repent ({{bibleverse||Jonah|3:4|HE}}). |
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Jesus retreated into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days, and was tempted by the ] ({{bibleverse||Matthew|4:1-2|KJV}}, {{bibleverse||Mark|1:12-13|KJV}}, {{bibleverse||Luke|4:1-2|KJV}}). He overcame all three of Satan's ]s by citing scripture to the devil, at which point the devil left him, angels ministered to Jesus, and he began his ]. Jesus further said that his disciples should fast "when the bridegroom shall be taken from them" ({{bibleverse||Matthew|9:15|KJV}}), a reference to his Passion. Since, presumably, the Apostles fasted as they mourned the death of Jesus, Christians have traditionally fasted during the annual commemoration of his burial. |
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It is the traditional belief that Jesus lay for forty hours in the tomb<ref name="RC-en-lent-duration" /> which led to the forty hours of total fast that preceded the Easter celebration in the ]<ref>Lent & Beyond: Dr. Peter Toon—From Septuagesima to Quadragesima (web site gone, no alternate source found, originally cited 2010-08-27)</ref> (the biblical reference to 'three days in the tomb' is understood as ''spanning'' three days, from Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning, rather than three 24 hour periods of time). One of the most important ceremonies at Easter was the ] of the initiates on ]. The fast was initially undertaken by the ]s to prepare them for the reception of this ]. Later, the period of fasting from ] until ] was extended to six days, to correspond with the six weeks of training, necessary to give the final instruction to those ] who were to be baptized. |
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Converts to Christianity followed a strict ] or period of instruction and discipline prior to baptism. In ] near the close of the fourth century, classes were held throughout Lent for three hours each day. With the legalization of ] (by the ]) and its later imposition as the ] of the ], its character was endangered by the great influx of new members. In response, the Lenten fast and practices of ] were required annually of all Christians, both to show solidarity with the catechumens, and for their own spiritual benefit. |
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==Etymology== |
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In ] the term '']'' (translation of the original ] Τεσσαρακοστή, ''Tessarakostē'', the "fortieth" day before Easter) is used. This nomenclature is preserved in ], ] and ] (for example, ] ''cuaresma'', ] ''quaresma'', ] ''carême'', ] ''quaresima'', ] ''korizma'', ] ''Carghas'', and ] ''C(a)rawys''). |
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In the late ], as ] began to be given in the ] instead of Latin, the ] word ''lent'' was adopted. This word initially simply meant ''spring'' (as in the ] ''Lenz'' and ] ''lente'') and derives from the ] root for ''long'' because in the spring the days visibly lengthen.<ref> Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 8 March 2009.</ref> |
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==Associated customs== |
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There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of ]. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are ] (] towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and ] (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to ] purposes or organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spirithome.com/lent.html |title=Lent—disciplines and practices |publisher=Spirit Home |date= |accessdate=2010-08-27}}{{self-published inline|date=August 2010}}</ref> |
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In many ] ], ], ] and ] form the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/documentText/Index/2/SubIndex/38/ContentIndex/101/Start/97 |title=General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 19 |publisher=Catholicliturgy.com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-27}}</ref> Lent is a season of grief that necessarily ends with a great celebration of Easter. It is known in ] circles as the season of "Bright Sadness." It is a season of sorrowful ] which is punctuated by breaks in the fast on Sundays. |
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In the ], ] ], and ] ], the '']'' is not sung during the Lenten season, disappearing on Ash Wednesday and not returning until the moment of the Resurrection during the ]. On major feast days, the ''Gloria in Excelsis Deo'' is recited, but this in no way diminishes the penitential character of the season; it simply reflects the joyful character of the Mass of the day in question. It is also used in the ]. Likewise, the '']'' is not sung during Lent; it is replaced before the ] reading by a seasonal ]. In the pre-1970 form of the ] omission of the ''Alleluia'' begins with ]. In the ], the Gloria (]) continues to be used in its normal place in the ] service, and the Alleluia appears all the more frequently, replacing "God is the Lord" at Matins. |
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The last two weeks of Lent are known as ]. It begins on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, which in the 1962 edition of the ] 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, and according to the rubrics should continue to be so. This was seen to be in accordance with the Gospel of that Sunday ({{bibleverse||John|8:46-59}}), in which Jesus “hid himself” from the people. The veils were removed at the singing of the ] during the Easter Vigil. Following ], and in the Reformed Kalendar of 1969, the name Passiontide was formally dropped, although the last two weeks are markedly different from the rest of the season. The tradition of veiling images is left to the decision of a country's conference of bishops. |
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===Pre-Lenten festivals=== |
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{{Main|Carnival|Mardi Gras|Swabian-Alemannic-Fastnacht|Maslenitsa|Pancake Day}} |
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] celebration. Detail of 1559 painting "''The Battle between Carnival and Lent''" by ]]] |
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] and a "witch" doll attached to it, for the traditional "Funken" ] on the First Sunday of lent in Herdwangen, ], Germany]] |
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] |
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The traditional carnival celebrations which precede Lent in many cultures have become associated with the season of fasting if only because they are a last opportunity for excess before Lent begins. The most famous pre-Lenten carnival in the world is celebrated in ]; other famous Carnivals are held in ], ], ], ] and ]. It is known by the name ], ], or ]. |
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===Fasting and abstinence=== <!-- This section is linked from ] --> |
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Fasting during Lent was more severe in ancient times than today. ] reports that in some places, all animal products were strictly forbidden, while others will permit fish, others permit fish and fowl, others prohibit fruit and eggs, and still others eat only bread. In some places, believers abstained from food for an entire day; others took only one meal each day, while others abstained from all food until 3 o'clock. In most places, however, the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening, when a small meal without vegetables or alcohol was eaten.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} |
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During the ], meat, eggs and dairy products were generally forbidden. ] argued that "they afford greater pleasure as food , and greater nourishment to the human body, so that from their consumption there results a greater surplus available for seminal matter, which when abundant becomes a great incentive to lust."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3147.htm#8 |title='''Summa Theologica''' Q147a8 |publisher=Newadvent.org |date= |accessdate=2010-08-27}}</ref> |
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However, ] for dairy products were given, frequently for a donation{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}, from which several churches are popularly believed to have been built, including the "Butter Tower" of the ]. |
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In Spain, the bull of the Holy ] (renewed periodically after 1492) allowed the consumption of dairy products<ref name="Torres">{{cite web |url=http://www2.ull.es/congresos/conmirel/torres1.html |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20020818085800/http://www.ull.es/congresos/conmirel/torres1.html |archivedate=2002-08-18 |subtitle=Implicaciones económicas del miedo religioso en dos instituciones del Antiguo Régimen: la Inquisición y la Bula de Cruzada] |coauthors=Alejandro Torres Gutiérrez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. |title=Millennium:Fear and Religion}}</ref> and eggs during Lent in exchange for a contribution to the conflict. |
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] in his ''Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales'' reports that "in ] and the ] regions," "great and religious persons," eat the tail of ]s as "fish" because of its superficial resemblance to a fish and their relative abundance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1148/pg1148.html |title=Baldwin's Itinerary Through Wales #2 by Giraldus Cambrensis |publisher=Gutenberg.org |date=2001-12-31 |accessdate=2010-08-27}}</ref> |
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In current Western societies the practice is considerably relaxed, though in the Eastern Orthodox, ] and ]es abstinence from all animal products including fish, eggs, fowl and milk sourced from animals (e.g. goats and cows as opposed to the milk of soy beans and coconuts) is still commonly practiced, meaning only vegetarian meals are consumed in many Eastern countries for the entire fifty-five days of their Lent. |
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In the Roman Catholic Church it is traditional to abstain from meat from mammals and fowl on Ash Wednesday and every Friday for the duration of Lent, although fish and dairy products are still permitted. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday it is customary to fast for the day, with no meat, eating only one full meal, and if necessary, two small meals also.<ref>Colin B. Donovan, . Retrieved 28 December 2007.</ref> |
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Pursuant to Canon 1253, days of fasting and ] are set by the national ]. On days of fasting, one eats only one full meal, but may eat two smaller meals as necessary to keep up one's strength. The two small meals together must sum to less than the one full meal. Parallel to the fasting laws are the laws of abstinence. These bind those over the age of fourteen. On days of abstinence, the person must not eat meat or poultry. According to ], all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday and several other days are days of abstinence, though in most countries, the strict requirements for abstinence have been limited by the ] (in accordance with Canon 1253) to the Fridays of Lent and Ash Wednesday. On other abstinence days, the faithful are invited to perform some other act of penance. A custom that developed later was to also give up something a person “enjoyed” receiving or doing for the duration of Lent. Although it is not required or part of any rule, many Christians today will also choose to give up something during the Lenten period. |
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In some years, there have been exceptions to abstinence on Fridays during the Lenten Season. If ] (17 March) falls on a Friday during Lent, the local Bishop can dispense with the rules and Catholics can eat meat. This is especially true in the United States among areas with large Irish-American populations, who eat ] on St. Patrick's Day. Approximately one third of all Catholic dioceses in the United States grant such a dispensation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2138120/ |title=Thou Shalt Eat Corned Beef on Friday: Who Sets the Rules on Lent? |author=Engber, Daniel |date=15 March 2006 |work=Slate |accessdate=13 February 2010}}</ref> The same is true for the feasts of ] and the ], which are always March 19<sup>th</sup> and March 25<sup>th</sup> respectively. If the feasts (March 19<sup>th</sup> or March 25<sup>th</sup>) fall on a Friday during Lent then the obligation to abstain is {{Linktext|abrogate}}d.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4O.HTM |title=Canon 1251 of the Code of Canon Law |publisher=Vatican.va |date= |accessdate=2010-08-27}}</ref> |
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Contemporary legislation is rooted in the 1966 ] of ], '']''. He recommended that fasting be appropriate to the local economic situation, and that all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain. He also allowed that fasting and abstinence might be substituted with prayer and works of charity. |
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Traditionally, on Easter Sunday, Roman Catholics may cease their fasting and start again whatever they gave up for Lent, after they attend ] on Easter Sunday. Orthodox Christians break their fast after the ] (a service which starts around 11:00 pm on Holy Saturday), which includes the Paschal celebration of the ] of St. ]. At the end of the service, the priest will bless eggs, cheese, flesh meats and other items that the faithful have been abstaining from for the duration of Great Lent. |
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Lenten practices (as well as various other liturgical practices) are more common in ] circles than they once were. Many modern ] consider the observation of Lent to be a choice, rather than an obligation. They may decide to give up a ] food or drink (e.g. chocolate, alcohol) or activity (e.g., going to the movies, playing video games, etc.) for Lent, or they may instead take on a Lenten discipline such as ], ] for ] work, and so on. In the Reformed tradition Lent is rejected. Ulrich Zwingli, considered the initial leader of the Reformed movement in Switzerland, made the Lenten fast representative of the difference between the traditional sacramentalism of the Catholic church and the belief in "sola fide" that he was beginning to espouse. On the first fasting Sunday, 9 March, Zwingli and about a dozen other supporters purposely and publicly violated the Lenten fast by cutting and distributing two smoked sausages. Since then, the Reformed movement, including the Puritans in the English speaking world, have not observed Lent, sometimes making a demonstration of their rejection of it. |
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{{Liturgical year}} |
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==Holy Days== |
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{{seealso|Easter Triduum}} |
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There are several holy days within the season of Lent: |
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*] is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity |
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*] (or "Ash Monday") is the first day in Eastern Orthodox Christianity |
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*The fourth Lenten Sunday, which marks the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter, is sometimes referred to as ], particularly by Roman Catholics, and ], which has become synonymous with ] in the United Kingdom. However, its origin is a sixteenth century celebration of the ]. On Laetare Sunday, the priest has the option of wearing vestments of rose (pink) instead of violet. |
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*The fifth Lenten Sunday, also known as ] (however, that term is also applied to ]) marks the beginning of ] |
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*The sixth Lenten Sunday, commonly called ], marks the beginning of ], the final week of Lent immediately preceding Easter |
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*Wednesday of Holy Week is known as ] to commemorate the days on which ] spied on Jesus in the garden of ] before betraying him |
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*Thursday is known as ], or Holy Thursday, and is a day Christians commemorate the ] shared by Christ with his ]s |
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*] follows the next day, on which Christians remember Jesus' ] and ] |
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In the Roman Catholic Church, the ] is a three-day event that begins with the entrance hymn of the Mass of the Lord's Supper. After this Holy Thursday evening celebration, the consecrated ] are taken from the altar solemnly to a place of reposition where the faithful are invited to worship the ]. On the next day the liturgical commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ is celebrated at 3pm, unless a later time is chosen due to work schedules. This service consists of readings from the ] especially ]'s account of the ] of Jesus, followed by prayers, adoration of the cross of Jesus, and a communion service at which the hosts consecrated at the evening Mass of the day before are distributed. The ] during the night between Holy Saturday afternoon and Easter Sunday morning starts with the blessing of a fire and a special candle and with readings from Scripture associated with ], then the ] is sung, water is blessed, baptism and ] of adults may take place, and the people are invited to renew the promises of their own baptism, and finally Mass is celebrated in the usual way from the Preparation of the Gifts onwards. |
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Holy Week and the season of Lent, depending on ] and local ], end with Easter Vigil at sundown on Holy Saturday or on the morning of Easter Sunday. It is custom for some churches to hold sunrise services which include open air celebrations in some places. |
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In the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and many Anglican churches, the ]'s vestments are ] during the season of Lent. On the fourth Sunday in Lent, rose-coloured vestments may be worn in lieu of violet. In some Anglican churches, a type of unbleached linen or muslin known as Lenten array is used during the first three weeks of Lent, and crimson during Passiontide. On holy days, the colour proper to the day is worn. |
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==See also== |
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{{Portal|Christianity}} |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Wiktionary|Lent}} |
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