Shrove Tuesday which is celebrated on the final day before Lent begins has its name origin in the verb “to shrive” meaning to assign or impose a penance.  Traditionally this day is celebrated by using up all the rich and fatty food one has in order to maintain a simple diet for the forty days of Lent. In the Anglican tradition, this means using milk, eggs, and meat for Shrove Tuesday pancake dinners.

Lent, the word coming from the German “Lenz, means “longer” as the days of Spring are longer. It is the season that leads directly to Easter, which has long been regarded as the principal occasion for baptism and reconciliation. The characteristic notes of Lent are self-examination, penitence, self-denial, study, and preparation for Easter, to which almsgiving has traditionally been added.

Ashes are an ancient sign of penitence; from the Middle Ages it became the custom to begin Lent by being marked in ash with the sign of the cross. Frequently, the ashes used are from the Palm Sunday crosses from the previous year. The calculation of the forty days has varied considerably in Christian history. The Episcopal Church counts them continuously to the end of Holy Week (not including Sundays), so beginning Lent on the sixth Wednesday before Easter. Liturgical dress is the simplest possible, colors vary but violet and white are both used. Churches are kept bare of flowers and decoration. Gloria in excelsis is not used. The Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare or Refreshment Sunday, was allowed as a day of relief from the rigor of Lent, and the Feast of the Annunciation almost always falls in Lent; these breaks from austerity are the background to the modern observance of Mothering Sunday on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

As Holy Week approaches, the atmosphere of the season darkens; the readings begin to anticipate the story of Christ’s suffering and death, and the reading of the Passion Narrative gave to the Fifth Sunday its name of Passion Sunday. There are many devotional exercises which may be used in Lent and Holy Week outside our liturgy. The Stations of the Cross, made popular in the West by the Franciscans, may be the best known.

Have you decided on a Lenten practice? Many view this as a time to give something, but adding to, or strengthening an existing spiritual practice is another way to approach this season. There are many resources available on-line to research.