I tried to see if anyone did this, but I didn't see anything...If it is somewhere, forgive me... I am planning to give up the following through Easter: 1) Alcohol 2) Sodas 3) Candy/Chocolate 4) Deserts (except for my daughter's b-day this Saturday) 5) Fast Food Tell me what your giving up...
I was thinking of giving up meat, but I think it might be too difficult from a logistical standpoint if nothing else. I'm stil considering . . . I did alcohol last year, and it was okay, although I was off of it one day (drank more that day than I ever have).
I was thinking, that if you were an arsonist, today is the day to committ your crimes. Even if you get busted you could explain the ashes on your forhead. And possibly get away with practicing your religious beliefs.
For my non-Catholic peeps... Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. Lent begins on 25 February 2004 and ends on 10 April 2004. Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. Lent has been observed in the church since apostolic times. In many countries, the last day before Lent (called Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, or Fasching) has become a last fling before the solemnity of Lent. For centuries, it was customary to fast by abstaining from meat during Lent, which is why some people call the festival Carnival, which is Latin for farewell to meat. Special Days The purpose of the liturgical calendar is to relive the major events in Jesus’ life in real time, which is why Lent is forty days long. If Jesus were born on 25 December, then His conception would have been nine months earlier, on about 25 March. That is when the angel Gabriel would have announced Jesus’ birth to Mary. Thus 25 March is known in the historic church as The Annunciation.
I'm giving up sacrifices. And you forgot to mention the best thing that can be said about Lent - it gave birth to Mardi Gras ! -- droxford
FYI, it's not just Catholics who do the Lent thing. Though I guess it is more "optional". so what can I give up... -Sleep. (I say that every year.) -Caffeine (bad idea!) -Alcohol and cigarettes (yeah, that's it! of course I didn't use them anyway) To tell the truth, usually I don't give up anything for Lent. It's during a busy time of the semester and I need all my energy. One year I did give up computer games... though I arbitrarily moved the dates of "Lent" around a little bit so it would start earlier and end on the day of my qualifying exam. It did help with my productivity. It just feels like I'm trying so hard already to improve my life... that it would be hard to bring in any more changes right now. In other words, shouldn't we try to improve ourselves all year? Or maybe I'm just trying to get out of this. If I do anything, it will be adding something (e.g. run two miles a day) instead of giving up something. But again maybe I'm just trying to get out of this.
