How to Observe Lent and Holy Week: The History, Pillars, & Practices of Lent
Some Christian traditions (especially in the United States) have cast Lent aside as a punitive, ascetic holiday in favor of seeing every day as a celebration of the resurrection—some going so far as to throw out all historical Christian holidays. Some of the practices of Lent and Easter have been seen as superfluous and even sinful. From the gluttony of pączki to the Easter bunny and colored eggs, many wonder what it all means and how any of this relates to Christianity. The reality is that Lent and Easter have a rich history of gospel-filled traditions.
The purpose of Lent is to lead us into Easter. Lent allows us to reflect on our sinful mortality and to remember the depth of Christ’s love for us; it points us toward and reminds us of the One who has redeemed us from it all and has given us the gifts of eternal life and salvation. For the Christian, Lent and Easter are both hopeful seasons full of redemptive expectation.
Lent is not about guilt, but rather about reflection and hope in the knowledge of what’s coming—the Light of Easter! We are not stuck in a rut of hopelessness by focusing on our sins; rather, we can more clearly see the depth of Christ’s love in what He’s done for us. We know that Easter is coming, when Jesus rose triumphant from the grave, securing forgiveness, life, and salvation for us!
The History of Lent
The word “Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “lencten,” which literally means “long” or “lengthen” and was also the word for spring. As the days lengthen in the spring as we get close to Easter, more sunlight fills our days and we remember the Light of world and His work for us! Lent is also a time that greatly reflects our current state of waiting for Jesus’ second coming. While we are still here on earth, we see sin and brokenness permeate our world, but we know what is coming! Christ will return and will be making all things new! We have this hope in the midst of suffering.
While Easter was most certainly celebrated since at least the 2nd century, it is unclear when Lenten observances began. There are references to this 40-day period at the Council of Nicea, which took place in 325 AD, so we do know it was widely practiced by the 4th century. We also know that the number forty is significant in Chrsitianity, typically seen as a number symbolizing trials and testing, and many times was related to a period of fasting. While there are many references to the number forty in the Bible, a few include the forty days and forty nights of the flood, the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert, and the forty days of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. In fact, the opening reading of Lent is traditionally the 40-day temptation of Jesus in the desert.
The Pillars of Lent
Over time, three main pillars, or disciplines, of Lent emerged: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. All of these fit together: while fasting, the time normally spent eating is replaced with time in prayer, and the money saved from spending less on food is given away (almsgiving). The purpose of fasting during Lent is to turn our attention from our bodily needs to God’s provision. It’s not just the abstinence of food, but the addition of prayer. It is meant to lead us to lean and depend on God rather than on ourselves. Fasting is a period of time to recognize that God is always good, even in periods of drought.
Fasting was never meant to be a public spectacle; in fact, Jesus even says in Matthew 6:16-18 that fasting is a private matter and that one shouldn’t show external signs of fasting but rather make an effort to hide the fact from others by appearing well-fed and healthy. When dining with others during a fast, it was always considered better to break the fast than to keep it and appear prideful by not eating in community.
Food fasts are the traditional practice, although today you will see some people choose to give up other things like social media, coffee, TV time, or spending money (typically in a particular category like clothing). A traditional food fast required fasting from meat, animal products (eggs, butter, cheese, and milk), and alcohol. During the day, water could be consumed, and small snacks were permitted. Soft pretzels became a popular one, as the ingredients only consisted of flour, salt, and water (see link in Resources for the full story). The fast was broken each day at dinnertime. On Fridays, meat products were still forbidden even during the breaking of the fast at dinner, hence the start of the traditional Lenten Friday fish fry (since fish wasn’t considered “flesh” meat). Sundays were exempt from fasting practices, as they are considered “mini-Easters.”
I would argue a food fast is the best demonstration and picture of what is meant to be experienced during Lent. One reason is that the three pillars of Lent are so entwined and dependent on fasting from actual food. By fasting from something other than food, the other two pillars of prayer and giving are greatly diminished. A more compelling reason for a food fast, however, is that throughout Scripture, food as a spiritual symbol and metaphor plays a major role in the redemption story. Starting in Genesis, the fall took place due to eating forbidden fruit. While the Israelites were in Egypt, God instituted the Passover—an elaborate and specific meal to be a picture of redemption. While in the wilderness, God provided food for the Israelites in various and miraculous ways (manna, quail, water from the rock). He promised the Israelites that He was taking them to a land flowing with milk and honey. In the New Testament, God calls Himself to the bread of life and describes receiving the Gospel like drinking water that will cause you to never thirst again. The Lord’s Supper is obviously dependent on food (bread and wine), and the early church in Acts found it vital to break bread together. Finally, Jesus’ second coming is described as the wedding feast of the Lamb.
The opposite of fasting is feasting. In Christianity, feasting is a celebration of the abundance that God has given us, remembering what God has done for us, and allows us to connect with each other on the horizontal. When Easter comes, it is a time of great joy and feasting. The fast is lifted and our hope is realized!
This contrast of fasting and feasting is the whole purpose of the church year. If we are always in times of remembrance of abundance, of feasting, we lose sight of the big picture. The ebb and flow of the seasons are essential to feasting in full.
Special Days and Traditions
There are several special days that are observed during Lent, and each has their own special traditions that are observed.
Fat Tuesday, also called Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday (when Lent begins). The meaning of “shrove” is to present oneself for confession and absolution, which was traditionally done on this day to prepare for the disciplines of Lent.
Because fasting is widely practiced during Lent, some common foods eaten on Fat Tuesday are pancakes or waffles (to use up milk, butter, and eggs) or pączki (Polish donuts with fruit filling). Hence, the name Fat Tuesday.
Ash Wednesday is the official start to the Lenten season. The name comes from a tradition of taking ashes and drawing a cross on the forehead. As the ashes are drawn, Genesis 3:19 is spoken, “For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.” Many church traditions continue this practice to this day as a reminder that while we are mortal sinners, God has accomplished for us what we could not: taking on our punishment at the cross and rising again, securing for us salvation from our sin and eternal life with God. The reason they are in the shape of a cross is to remind us that Jesus paid it all. The ashes are a reminder of both our mortality and redemption as we look forward to the coming celebration at Easter.
Holy Week is the week prior to Easter, beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Holy Saturday. It is also referred to as Passion Week, as the Passion Narrative of Christ is read and focused on during this week. (The term “passion” in relation to Holy Week comes from the word “passio” in Latin, which means suffering.)
Palm Sunday celebrates the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem, when the crowds waved palm branches and laid it on the road before Him as He rode in on a donkey. Traditionally, the palm branches will later be burned and the ashes used for the following year’s Ash Wednesday service. Many churches give out palm branches for children to wave during worship or while they sing a song in front of the church.
Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Holy Wednesday aren’t widely celebrated with great festivities, however, each day has its own set of readings that are traditionally associated with them. Readings for Holy Monday include the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple in Matthew 21:12-22. Readings for Holy Tuesday include John 12:20-35, when Jesus predicted His death. Holy Wednesday is sometimes called “Spy Wednesday,” as the story of Judas plotting His betrayal of Jesus is traditionally read from Matthew 26:14-25.
The evening of Maundy Thursday to the dawn of Easter Sunday is a time known as the “Paschal Triduum,” from the Latin “tri” (three) + “duum” (days).
Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, celebrates Christ’s institution of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion (the Eucharist). The word “maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum,” which means mandate or command, and is in reference to the new command Christ gave to His disciples during the Last Supper: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another” (John 13:34). Some traditions on this day include celebrating communion and washing the feet of those at your dinner table.
On Good Friday we remember Christ’s death and crucifixion. Some traditions on this day include observing the Stations of the Cross as well as a few traditional worship service formats.
One of these is known as the “Three Hours’ Agony,” which starts at 12 PM and ends at 3 PM, the time that it’s said that Jesus died on the cross. The service focuses on the Seven Last Words of Jesus, which are taken from each of the four gospels and thematically are seen as a representation of the entire redemption narrative. The seven words are: “Father, forgive them”; “Today you will be with me in paradise”; “Woman, here is your son; son, here is your mother”; “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”; “I thirst”; “It is finished”; and “Into your hands I commit my Spirit.”
Another traditional Good Friday worship service is called the Tenebrae, which is Latin for darkness. In this service, candles are progressively extinguished and the service ends in a loud noise and darkness, symbolizing the earthquake that took place at the moment of Jesus’ death. Congregants leave in silence. The readings are traditionally based on various gospels’ accounts of the Passion Narrative.
A traditional food made on Good Friday is hot cross buns, which are buns made with fruit and spices and have a cross cut into the top. The cross symbolizes Christ’s crucifixion, and the spices represent His burial.
Holy Saturday is the last day of Lent and commemorates the time when Jesus was in the tomb. Traditionally, this time is seen as when Jesus “descended into hell,” as is confessed in the Apostles’ Creed. Various interpretations of what this means abound, but a common interpretation is that when Jesus died, He went to hell to declare victory over sin, death, and the devil. On Easter Sunday, He rose triumphant from the grave.
An Easter Vigil traditionally begins on the night of Holy Saturday, where Christians would gather to pray, baptize catechumens, and look forward as the light of dawn increased and Easter worship would begin. A German tradition is to light an Easter Fire around sunset and keep it burning through the night’s Easter Vigil.
My Lent & Easter Celebration Kit provides an intentional way to celebrate both the 40-day season of Lent and the 50-day season of Easter with those you love.
The Lent & Easter Celebration Kit is a digital PDF download that includes a guide detailing the importance of celebrating both seasons, how they have traditionally been celebrated in the past, and suggestions on how to celebrate it intentionally today. It also includes two printable sets of devotional cards. The first set is for Lent and is meant to be used beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday. Each card includes two scripture passages (one a prophecy and the other its fulfillment in the Passion Narrative) along with a hymn. The second card set is for Easter and is meant to be used starting on Easter Sunday and ending on Pentecost. Each card includes a scripture passage, hymn, and a question for further study and discussion.
This kit is perfect for those looking to incorporate the Church Year into their lives and can be used year after year. Not just for families, the celebration ideas are appropriate for all ages and life stages; they are meant to be adapted to fit your lifestyle.
This makes a great weekly Lent and Easter devotional and is not year-specific, so you can reuse it every year!
I also have several other posts on the Church Year and how to celebrate it, including posts on the season of Advent and the season of Christmas.
