Interesting Facts About Lent (Part 3)
Significant Days during Lent:
Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake Tuesday and Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras) – This is the day before Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the tradition of shriving—i.e., a Christian confessing his sins and receiving absolution for them. It was also the last chance to use up many of the foods which had to be avoided during Lent, such as meat, fats, eggs, and milk. As a result, many families would have a feast that day—which is why it’s called “Fat Tuesday.” Pancakes became a traditional food that day since they use many of these foods—and thus, “Pancake Tuesday.”
Ash Wednesday – the beginning of Lent in the West. The ashes come from burning palm crosses from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
Lazarus Saturday – the Saturday before Palm Sunday, observed in some of the eastern churches, where the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is read (John 11:1-44).
Palm Sunday – the Sunday before Easter, on which the church recalls Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, and Luke 19:29-38).
Maundy Thursday – Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. “Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning commandment, and is based on what Christ said at the Last Supper, per John 13:34: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. . . .”
Good Friday – The Friday before Easter on which the church remembers Christ’s crucifixion.
Holy Saturday – the day before Easter Sunday.
Interesting Facts About Lent Part 1
Interesting Facts About Lent Part 2
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