Lent

This year Lent starts Wednesday, Feb. 14 and runs through March 28, 2024. Did you know? 7 Interesting Facts About Lent:

• Lent technically lasts 46 days since Sundays aren’t included. When Lent started, it was only 36 days. Later, it was changed to 40 days.
• The number 40 is a significant number for Christians. Jesus spent 40 days in a desert. Noah had to wait 40 days for his ark to float. And Moses, along with his followers, traveled through the wilderness for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land.
• Lent starts on what’s known as Ash Wednesday. This is when followers spread ashes on their forehead to signal their repentance to God. The ashes come from burning last year’s palms that were distributed on Palm Sunday.
• Purple is the liturgical color of Lent. Costly to make in ancient times, purple came to be associated with kings and royalty. Before His crucifixion, soldiers clothed Jesus in a cheap robe made of “fake” purple dye intending to imply that Jesus was fake king, not knowing they were about to crucify the King of Kings.
• Lent doesn’t actually end on Easter; it ends on Good Thursday, the day Jesus has The Last Supper. Good Friday is when Jesus dies on the cross, and on Easter Sunday, he rises from the grave.
• The day after Holy Wednesday is Maundy Thursday, which commemorates the Last Supper between Jesus and his disciples. Maundy Thursday is the last day of Lent.
• Lent comes from the Middle English word “lente,” which means springtime. It doesn’t have anything to do with fasting or giving things up. It has been used to signify new life and renewal.