What is Lent? - BBC Bitesize

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

This video can not be played

Lent is the period of six weeks (40 days not including Sundays) leading up to Easter, the most important festival in the Christian calendar.

Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week.

When is Lent?

In 2023 Lent begins on Wednesday 22nd February and ends on Saturday 8th April.

Lent is an old English word meaning 'lengthen'. Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer.

What is the story of Lent?

Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray before beginning his work for God. Jesus was tempted several times by Satan, but was able to resist.

Lent allows Christians to remember Jesus's fasting in the desert. It is a time of giving things up and a test of self-discipline.

There are many foods that some Christians do not eat in Lent, such as meat and fish, fats, eggs, and milky foods. Some Christians just give up something they really enjoy, such as cakes or chocolate.

Can you fill in the missing words?

How is Lent celebrated?

Shrove Tuesday

In western Christian churches, the day before Lent starts is Shrove Tuesday. This is also known as Pancake Day. This day was traditionally the last chance to use up the foods Christians would not be eating during Lent.

Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday many Christian churches hold services during which Christians are marked on the forehead with a cross of ashes.

This is a sign of saying sorry to God for any wrong-doing.

Lent in pictures

Skip image gallery

Image caption,
The Olney Pancake Race
Each year women from the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire race through the streets, tossing pancakes in a frying pan. Children from local schools take part in their own races.
Image caption,
The Royal Shrovetide Football game
The Royal Shrovetide Football Match is held every year in the town of Ashbourne in Derbyshire. It is held over two days from Shrove Tuesday to Ash Wednesday. Many hundreds of people play in the match. The goals are nearly 5 km apart!
Image caption,
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. This picture shows Catholic worshippers at a Mass in Washington DC. Their foreheads are marked with crosses of black ash.
Image caption,
Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat Tuesday’. This refers to the beginning of Lent and the last chance for people to eat rich fatty foods. Mardi Gras is celebrated in many places, most famously in New Orleans in the USA. Here, people and parade floats fill the streets of the city.
Image caption,
Carnival of Venice
Carnival comes from Latin words meaning “Put away meat”. This refers to eating or getting rid of meat before fasting for Lent begins. The Carnival of Venice in Italy is held each year on Shrove Tuesday. The history of the carnival stretches back over 800 years. There are many traditions associated with it, such as the elaborate colourful masks and costumes that carnival-goers wear.
Image caption,
Rio Carnival
A carnival is held every year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before Lent begins. Many thousands of people parade through the streets in colourful costumes to the sound of loud samba music. The largest parade is held in a specially built ‘Sambadrome’ which can seat over 90,000 people.

Pancakes

Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday as they were a simple meal that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk in the house with just the addition of flour.

Shrove comes from the verb 'to shrive' which means to confess sins.

Video TranscriptVideo Transcript