Facts about lent you need to know

Here are some interesting
facts about the Lenten
season:
1. Lent is the period of 40 days
before Easter in the
Christian calendar. Sundays
are not included in the count.
It falls on a different date
each year because it is
dependent on the date of
Easter Sunday.
2. Why 40 days? The number is
significant in Jewish-
Christian scripture: in
Genesis, it took 40 days and
nights of rain to cause a
flood which destroyed the
earth; the Hebrews spent 40
days in the wilderness
before reaching the Promised
Land; Moses fasted for 40
days before receiving the
Ten Commandments on Mount
Sinai; Jesus spent 40 days
of fasting in preparation for
his ministry.
3. Lent is derived from an Old
English word which means
"lengthen." The last week of
Lent is called Holy Week.
4. Violet is the symbolic color
for Lent, with altars, statues
and other religious
paraphernalia veiled in violet
fabric.
5. Why violet? The color is
associated with mourning,
which anticipates Christ's
pain and suffering on the
cross; and royalty, which
celebrates Christ's
resurrection.
6. In most Christian
denominations, Lent starts
with Ash Wednesday, which
is derived from the practice
of placing ashes on the
foreheads of the faithful as a
sign of repentance to God.
The ashes are made by
burning the blessed palms
that were distributed the
previous year on Palm
Sunday.
7. Ash Wednesday is observed
by fasting, abstinence from
meat, prayer, and
repentance. Other days of
abstinence from meat include
all Fridays during Lent.
8. During Lent, the faithful are
encouraged to surrender a
particular vice, such as
smoking or favorite food
items, as a reflection of
Jesus' deprivation in the
wilderness and test of self-
discipline.
9. In 2010, Lingayen-Dagupan
Archbishop Oscar Cruz said
Filipino Catholics should
abstain from video games,
movies, sending text
messages, and even using
social networks such as
Facebook as a form of
sacrifice during the Lenten
season. Cruz followed a
similar proposal by British
Church leaders urging people
to give up their iPods and
other gadgets for at least
one day.
10. Last year, the Catholic
Bishops' Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) launched a
website that offers a "virtual
experience" of celebrating
Lent at the comfort of one's
own room. Visita Iglesia
Online allows users to listen
to the pasyon (sung
readings of the Gospel
account of Christ's Passion),
watch videos of the Seven
Last Words, read homilies
and take part in the Stations
of the Cross via a computer
with an Internet connection. It
also features 14 shrines and
pilgrimage churches, as well
as reflections given by
Filipino priests.