Lent etymology

Etymology:

  • Old English: Hlenten
  • Proto-Germanic: *Langitinaz, meaning "long [season]"

Meaning:

  • A 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance observed in the Christian liturgical calendar.
  • The period begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, excluding Sundays.
  • Lent commemorates the 40 days of fasting that Jesus Christ spent in the wilderness after his baptism.

Origin:

  • The tradition of Lent originated in the early centuries of Christianity.
  • It was first mentioned in the writings of Irenaeus in the 2nd century AD, who described a two-week period of fasting before Easter.
  • By the 4th century, Lent had become a 40-day period of fasting and penance.
  • The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD standardized the length of Lent at 40 days.
  • The number 40 has symbolic significance in the Bible, representing periods of trial, testing, and preparation.

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