Lent how long 2017

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Share this article via comment Share this article via facebook Share this article via twitter. More Stories. The end date of Lent is a little more difficult to pinpoint. However, the liturgical season of Lent ends before this — on Holy Thursday, which is on 13 April. Most people associate Lent with fasting and abstaining from certain things. Many believe that giving up something during Lent will purify their bodies. Children often give up chocolate, sweets, certain toys or television — while adults usually go for alcohol, coffee or cigarettes.

Households will often give up meat, eggs and dairy products for the 40 day period. Those who choose to take something on during this time will often donate money to a good cause or dedicate time to volunteering for charity. Catholics will abstain from eating meat on Fridays until the Easter season — although traditionally, this is recommended for Fridays year-round.

This year, the Christian Nightlife Initiatives Network is promoting the Do1NiceThing challenge, which they say is about loving the person in front of you and serving the wider community to make life better for others. Picture: Getty. Mothering Sunday 26th March — Take some flowers to mothers and grandmas on your street. These practices are disciplinary in nature and are often more effective if they are continuous, i.

That being said, such practices are not regulated by the Church, but by individual conscience. The number forty is also significant in Scripture. Lent recalls the forty days of our Lord's fasting in the desert, which He undertook before entering into His public ministry.

We read in the Gospel: "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry" Mt 4, Like Moses, who fasted before receiving the tablets of the Law cf. Ex 34,28 and Elijah's fast before meeting the Lord on Mount Horeb cf.