Lent is coming!

[Heald]

Dunno if you Yanks celebrate Lent or not, but basically tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, meaning people are meant to be giving something up for 40 days and 40 nights.

This is the first year I've had real difficulty in finding something to give up.

I usually don't care, but my girlfriend really wants me to find something to give up, so I'm trying to find something.

If you have any ideas, post them.

Also, to make this topic not all about me, post what you're giving up for Lent, or what you're not giving up, or just talk about Lent in general, or just bash religion, I don't care, knock yourself out.

[Sceptile_Master]

I might give it a try this year. Never done it before though.

But anyhoo what are you interested in. Might help us give some suggestions is all.

[Heald]

After talking with my girlfriend and some of my other friends, they all agree I swear like a fishwife and therefore should give that up, so that's top of my list.

I'm not much different from your average guy. There are two things I'm not going to give up : meat or beer. I would give up chocolate but I don't actually eat chocolate or any sweet things anyway so it wouldn't be much of a test.

[Magmar]

Junk food is going to go. I'm going to do this... I'll make my weight goal by Easter ^_^ I forgot about Lent! Damn! I hardly ever eat junk anyway, but I'm making "food when I'm not hungry regardless of the type" to be "junk" food. Go me. Hah, and give up meat... I CAN'T do that. I love steak... and chicken... and pork.. etc. etc.

[Lady Vulpix]

I never knew that existed. Is it a Christian tradition?

[Number1ChanseyFan]

I never knew that existed. Is it a Christian tradition?

[color=magenta]Yes, it is symbolic of when Jesus wandered the desert wilderness for 40 days fasting and praying. It begins with Ash Wednesday and goes for 40 days, with the day before Easter Sunday being the 40th day of Lent. (Sundays are considered a day of celebration, and do not count towards the 40 days.) Christians are supposed to give up something that is valuable to them during Lent, whether it be chocolate, video games, internet... etc, it doesn't really matter what it is, as long as it is something that takes some effort. When I was in elementary school I asked if I could give up school for Lent, which didn't go over to well. lol Actually, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is celebrated on the day before Lent, because Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting, along with Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, when Jesus was crucified. (fasting is considered eating 1 regular sized meal or 2 small meals for the entire day. Also, no meat, except seafood, is to be eaten on Ash Wednesday and every Friday during Lent.) Therefore, people would eat a ton of food on Mardi Gras, because they wouldn't be eating much the next day.

On a slightly related note, I was born on Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday, at 11:08 PM, 52 minutes before Ash Wednesday. (February 19th, 1985.)

I believe that I will be giving up soda pop for Lent. This will be so very hard for me, I love my pop, but this isn't supposed to be easy. This will definitely be the toughest thing that I have ever given up, I don't even remember the last time I went a day without pop, let alone 6 and a half weeks!! It will be a test physically, mentally, and spiritually. I hope that I can do it, and I think that I will be able to do it. I know it sounds silly, such a trivial thing, but it truly is that important to me!! This will be good for me in my overall health too.

And Josh Hartnett's character thought that he had it hard in that 40 Days movie... What I am doing would so own what he did, about a million times over!!

[mr_pikachu]

I never knew that existed. Is it a Christian tradition?

To clarify, at least where I live, it is only celebrated by Catholics. Those who follow the Protestant side of Christianity do not usually celebrate that holiday in the U.S.

If I was Catholic, I'm not sure what I'd give up. I just wish people didn't seem to need a religious obligation to better themselves.

[Dark-San]

[b][size=3] I lived in the other side of the world. And there isn't any holiday here that is Lent. I have a question though.

Lent is a day where by we have to give up something that is valuable. So is the something in the form of a physical item that we cherish or a habit?

[mr_pikachu]

Well, lent is basically a 40-day (I think...) period where Catholics give up something that they usually do - it's supposed to be something that's detrimental to them in some way, too. Some people might give up drinking, others might give up swearing, and still others might give up television. You can give up pretty much anything, as long as it's something that's bad for you in some way.

[Gavin Luper]

Ah yes, Ash Wednesday rolls around again, and with it - Lent.

Well, I'm giving up a couple of things, among them - CHOCOLATE. Probably should have given up all junk food, but I think chocolate is difficult enough to be going on with for now, as far as food is concerned.

I remember a couple of years ago - for a couple of years in a row, actually - I gave up all drinks except water and milk for the whole duration of Lent (around 40 days). That was particularly fun, and in the end I didn't find it hard at all to do, which is why I could very easily do it again.

No meat tonight, which means pasta (we were having pasta anyway, so it's really quite fortunate). Lent usually also means fish, and I don't like fish ... but I suppose I'll have to suck it up.

Oh, Dark-San, you can give up a thing that you think is bad for you, or you could abstain from a habit, or you could also just make a concerted effort to do something positive for the duration of Lent - like be nice to people more, or improve your behaviour, or whatever (usually not that general, but you get the idea). Mostly, the idea is to give up something that you would find it very difficult to go without for a period of time.

As Number1ChanseyFan said, the idea comes from the story of Jesus, when he wandered into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights and was tempted by the devil, but he resisted. Tis a good story.

Anyway, is Lent honestly just a Catholic thing? I was sure most Christians recognised it ...

[Sceptile_Master]

Well, lent is basically a 40-day (I think...) period where Catholics give up something that they usually do - it's supposed to be something that's detrimental to them in some way, too. Some people might give up drinking, others might give up swearing, and still others might give up television. You can give up pretty much anything, as long as it's something that's bad for you in some way.

Well I think it's more of a christian (both catholic and protestant) thing.

But anyhoo I think i know what I'll be giving up. This lent is going to be random. Its the first one I've ever tried doing. And I'm not giving up irn bru... that would be madness lol.

[Little_Pikachu]

I think I'm going to give up my friends. It seems like I've been out with them practically every day for weeks, if I have a break then I can a) save money, b) eat less junk and c) get some uni work done, I'm tired, I need some valuable alone time, it's all good.

Maybe just for a few days while I do some dissertation at least.

[Sceptile_Master]

Youd actually give up your friends/ That'd feel really weird telling them wouldn't it? Like " I'm giving you up for lent, see ya in 40 days". I mean they are human beings of course. Although it isn't my right to judge what you choose to do for lent, it just seems a bit confusing to me is all.

[Scarlet Spider]

I think I'm going to give up my friends. It seems like I've been out with them practically every day for weeks, if I have a break then I can a) save money, b) eat less junk and c) get some uni work done, I'm tired, I need some valuable alone time, it's all good.

Maybe just for a few days while I do some dissertation at least.

Wouldn't it be more practical to just give up junk food/being lazy/being wasteful with money? Giving up your friends just seem a tad too extreme.

[Magmar]

I'm not Catholic or Christian at all but I'm still giving something up--my grandmother is Catholic and gave up the same thing, so it's teamwork to help us lose weight.

[Crystal Mew]

Today at work I saw all these people wth black smudges on their forehead...and I was thinking to myself "wtf? why does everyone have this on their head..."

then I remembered it was ash wednesday.


well anyway, I dont celebrate it...even though I'm a christian. around here its the catholics that celebrate it

[Dark Scizor]

My Mother and Step Father are Christians, I don't know what I could give up this year apart from the internet, which seems like quite a good idea since I'm on a little more than I'd like, but I need it for research etc. =/

[Craig]

For lent this year I gave up posting on TPM


oh shi-

[Perfect Chaos]

Yeah, Lent is much more of a Catholic thing and MOST Protestant Christians don't bother taking part of it.

I wouldn't have taken part of it since I am a Protestant AND I don't really feel the need to give up anything, but its an Indian (Asian) tradition for Indian Christians, so I'm basically thinking "Why the hell not..."

-Sean

[Sceptile_Master]

I'm a protestant and I'm doing it.

[homeofmew]

yay for lent
<< is not catholic.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

[color=magenta]Meh, I am nearing the end of my 9th day in a row without pop!! This has been even harder then I thought it was going to be. I so can't wait until April 16th!!

[Perfect Chaos]

You're not the only one. I just broke Lent accidently by eating two M&M's o_o

-Sean

[Number1ChanseyFan]

You're not the only one. I just broke Lent accidently by eating two M&M's o_o

-Sean

[color=magenta]Meh don't worry, my dad went out yesterday and got sausage/egg/cheese croissants(sp?) for everybody for breakfast, and of course my parents forgot that it was a no-meat day. I remembered it though, and picked off the sausage on mine and put it in the fridge until today. So they both ate meat on a Friday!! They didn't even realize it until a couple of hours later when they were deciding what they wanted for supper!!

11 Days and counting without pop. Meh, I can't believe that I am actually taking a red marker and marking down the days on a calendar until I can have pop again. I don't even care about Spring Vacation now, I just want a Cherry Coke in the worst way!! This may end up killing me. If nobody sees me on TPM for awhile, then either my computer died or I did. But of course, even if my computer died, I could always post on a computer from school or from a friend's/family member's computer, so if I am gone for a couple of days and I don't come back, the most likely reason is that I died from pop withdrawl, or else I became so grouchy over pop withdrawl that I killed somebody and got thrown in a jail that doesn't have internet access. ^_^

[Silver Ledian]

It's a Catholic celebration here only. A friend of mine was afraid to go to uni the other week wearing the black ashes on her forehead in case she got abused by Protestants lol - yes, being Northern Ireland people would still do immature things like that just cuz of a religious divide.

Anyway, I decided to go off crisps, sweets and chocolate for Lent because I love all of them - especially the former - and I knew it would be hard. My aim is to lose a bit of weight and I'm doing perfect so far because I haven't touched a single crisp or sweet. I was going to go off fast food too but I figured that was pushing it a bit much and I have to have some kind of treat.

There's a charity in Ireland called 'Trócaire' which encourages people to put all the money which they would normally spend on their usual luxuries over Lent - like crisps or sweets for example - into a Trócaire box (type of money box thing). The money is then given to the Church at the end of Lent and sent to Trócaire HQ where it's then distributed and stuff.

I started complaining the other day going 'God this is too hard, I just want one crisp, this is killing me!' and my cousin just turned round and went 'Yeah well Eamon Jesus gave up his life so there ya go' XD