What & When is Lent?

What is Lent?
Lent is a period of 40 days and nights when Christians prepare for Easter. During this time we commemorate the time that Jesus spent in the desert enduring temptation by Satan.

This year Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, falls on 6th February.

Why are Sundays not counted in the 40 days?
Sunday is the traditional day of celebration in the Christian church and commemorates the Resurrection which is why Sundays are not included in Lent.

What happens during Lent?
We prepare for the Resurrection by praying and fasting during Lent. Nowadays, people will often give up a favourite food, like chocolate, during Lent to show that they too can resist temptation. Performing charitable acts is another way to show our committment during Lent.

Other things that lasted for 40 days in the Bible:
Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai with God
God made it rain for 40 days and nights in the days of Noah
The Hebrew people travelled for 40 years to get to the Promised Land
Jonah gave the people of Nineveh 40 days and nights to repent of their sins
Elijah spent 40 days walking to Mount Horeb