When Does Lent End for 2017? Meaning of Lent: More About Sacred Christian Tradition
Every year, millions of Christians around the world celebrate Lent. While most non-believers usually associate this season with abstinence or fasting, there is actually more to it than just that.
For Christians, Lent is much more than giving up something. More than fasting or abstaining from worldly pleasures, Lent is about preparing spiritually to become closer to God. Since it is considered as the run-up to Easter, Christians regard Lent as the perfect time for spiritual renewal.
Lent takes place annually in the 40 days that lead up to Easter. Christians take advantage of this season to reflect and fast not just from food but from festivities as well. This period of the year is supposed to be holy because it represents the days that led up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as well as His resurrection. Christians start celebrating Lent 40 days before Easter because it symbolizes the 40 days and nights that the Savior spent in the Judean Desert being close to Satan's temptation.
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In Western churches, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. This happens in February or March, the day following the Shrove Tuesday.
As to when Lent ends, the answer varies. Western churches believe that the 40-day Lenten period ends on the day before Easter, which is on Holy Saturday. This year, that day falls on April 15. However, the liturgical season of Lent is also said to end two days prior, which is on Holy Thursday. Eastern churches, on the other hand, believe that Lent ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday.
Technically, the Lenten season lasts for 46 days but it does not include Sundays. All the six Sundays that lead to Easter from the time Lent begins are not included in the overall count because Christians consider Sundays as "mini-Easter," a time when they celebrate the victory of Jesus over death and sin.
