What is Lent and why does it take place before Easter?
Lent is a Christian festival of fasting, prayer and penance for 40 days (save Sundays) leading up to Easter. It starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
Lent is meant to prepare us for Easter by pondering the death of Jesus, His 40 days of desert fasting and His resurrection. Christians take Lent as a time to repent of sin, to develop spiritually, and to exercise self-control. A lot of people forego certain foods or activities to make up for or focus more on their faith during this time.
Lenten is meaningful because it is a time of purification, sacrifice and transformation. With prayer and fasting, Christians work to enlarge their intimacy with God and set up their hearts for the Easter Sunday celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.