Eastern Orthodox Christians begin the Great Lenten Fast

This Orthodox icon of the Last Supper was painted by Simon Ushakov in 1685. The image now is in public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

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MONDAY, MARCH 18: The flavors of shellfish and lagana bread are associated with the start of the Lenten season in Greece. Outside, colorful kites fly above the fields as Orthodox Christians mark Clean Monday.

Western Christians began the Lenten season of reflection that leads toward the celebration of Easter last week with Ash Wednesday.

The centuries-old tradition of observing Lent as a season of reflection and self-denial is intended to prepare Christians for the greatest festival in their religious calendar: Easter. However, the ever-changing date of Easter—and the method of counting 40 days in Lent—is one of the centuries-old differences among Christians East and West.

There are many differences in Lenten customs between Eastern and Western branches of Christianity—but the call to fast is one of the central spiritual challenges in Eastern churches. Many Western Christian denominations still call on members to “give something up” for Lent. But observant members of Eastern churches often have calendars on the wall—or apps on the smartphones—listing the foods they are giving up. The list becomes quite extensive! Customs vary in each national culture, but the faithful may be abstaining from meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, wine and some oils. This leads to distinctive—and often both healthy and delicious—regional Lenten cuisines.

Another big difference? “Western Christians count Lent’s 40 days as starting with Ash Wednesday but excluding Sundays. Eastern Christians, those generally called Orthodox, start their 40 days on a Monday, counting Sundays, but excluding the week leading up to Easter.” That’s one of the intriguing details in the book, Our Lent: Things We Carry, by Read The Spirit magazine Editor David Crumm. “Some Christians fast; some don’t. Millions of Western Christians retain a custom of limited fasting; millions of Eastern Christians prayerfully make significant sacrifices during this season.”

CLEAN MONDAY IN GREECE

Rather than begin Lent in a solemn manner, Clean Monday is celebrated as a public holiday in Greece and Cyprus: outdoor activities, zany local traditions, kite flying and plenty of Lenten-friendly food is par for the course. As shellfish is permitted in these cultures throughout Lent, a spread of extravagant dishes—based on the bounty of the sea—is common on Clean Monday in Greece.

Customs and traditions vary by locality in Greece on the first day the Lenten season, with colored flour being thrown into crowds in Glaxidi, on the northern coast of the Corinth Gulf; on the Greek island of Chios, a man dresses up as “Aga,” or “Ayas” (the tax collector), then he and his followers grab local villagers to put them into a mock trial. The “criminals” found guilty must suffer punishment or pay a fine that funds the village’s cultural association.

KITES AND CULINARY DELIGHTS

The flying of kites across Greece welcomes spring in a colorful and festive manner, and many traditional kite makers pride themselves on decades of experience. When out and about, picnic baskets are often filled with lagana, an unleavened bread baked only for Clean Monday, and taramosalata, a dip made of salted and cured roe mixed with olive oil, lemon juice and bread crumbs. Feasts of bean soup, shellfish dishes, octopus platters, shrimp dishes and more are carefully prepared for a Clean Monday extravaganza.

In Greece, lagana is usually baked on large sheets and cut into smaller portions for serving. The bread is decorated with sesame seeds, which add a distinct flavor and texture to the bread. Aside from its cultural significance, lagana bread is also delicious and nutritious. It is low in fat and high in fiber, making it an ideal food for people who are observing the Lenten fast. The sesame seeds on top of the bread add a nutty flavor and a satisfying crunch, making it a popular snack for people of all ages.

Interested in baking lagana? Find a recipe at the blog Lemon & Olives, or at The Greek Vegan.

Meatfare Sunday: Orthodox Christians prepare for Lent with Sunday of the Last Judgment

Meatfare Sunday, meat dish

Orthodox Christians partake in meat dishes for the last time until Pascha on Meatfare Sunday. Photo courtesy of PxHere

SUNDAY, MARCH 10: While Western Christians are already in the midst of Lent, Eastern Orthodox churches take the first steps toward their traditional Lenten fast with Meatfare Sunday (also referred to as the Sunday of the Last Judgment). After Meatfare Sunday, no meat may be consumed until Pascha (Easter).

One week later, Cheesefare Sunday (this year, March 17) will mark the discontinuation of partaking in dairy products until Pascha. For Orthodox Christians, Great Lent begins the day following Cheesefare Sunday, on Clean Monday—this year, March 18.

MEATFARE SUNDAY (THE LAST JUDGMENT )

On Meatfare Sunday, or the Sunday of the Last Judgment, emphasis is placed on the Second Coming and Last Judgment—a time when Christ (in the Gospel of Matthew) refers to coming in glory with the angels to judge the living and the dead. While the opportunity exists, the faithful are encouraged to repent. The parable of the Last Judgment points out that Christ will judge on love: How well one has shared God’s love, and how deeply one has cared for others.

Looking to cook up a delicious meat dish today?  Find recipes at Allrecipes, Southern Living and Food Network.

Maha Shivaratri: Hindus fast, hold vigils and observe ‘Great Night of Shiva’

Maha Shivaratri devotees

Hindus in the Shiv temple in Agra, India, on Maha Shivratri. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

FRIDAY, MARCH 8: A day of fasting and worship is followed by a nighttime vigil for Lord Shiva, on the Hindu holiday of Maha Shivaratri. Lord Shiva is associated with several legends and renowned as the model of an ideal husband. On Maha Shivaratri, many Hindus believe that Lord Shiva performed the Tandava—the cosmic dance of creation, preservation and destruction.

After a full day of visiting temples, performing ritual baths for figures of Lord Shiva and fasting, Hindus begin a vigil that lasts the entire night.

2024 rules and travels:  Additional rules of the fast—including details for 2024—can be found in this article, from the Times of India. Alternatively, this article from the Outlook Traveller explores Mount Kailash, the holy location where Hindus believe that Mahadeva (Shiva) lives, along with his consort, Parvati.

LORD SHIVA: MARRIAGE AND LINGA

Many stories are shared as this holiday is celebrated by Hindus in India, Nepal, Trinidad, Tobago and other parts of the world. According to one legend, Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati, were married on this day. As the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvatai is regarded as ideal, married women pray for the well-being of their husbands and single women pray that they will find a husband like Shiva.

RITUALS AND CUSTOMS

After waking early for a ritual bath, Hindus begin the day by visiting the temple. At the temple, Hindus pray, make offerings and bathe figures of Shiva in milk, honey or water. Many devotees either fast or partake in only milk and fruit throughout the day. As evening falls, the worship continues, and hymns and devotional songs are sung to Shiva throughout the night. It’s believed that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on Maha Shivaratri—Lord Shiva’s favorite day—will bring absolution of sins, neutrality of the mind and assistance in liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Nineteen-Day Fast: Baha’is enter devotional period leading up to New Year

This photograph by David Haslip of the Universal House of Justice, governing body of the Bahá’ís, in Haifa, Israel, is in public domain and can be shared via Wikimedia Commons.

SUNSET THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29: Sacred days “outside of time” began for members of the Baha’i faith at sundown last Sunday, as the festival of Ayyam-i-Ha, or Intercalary Days, commenced.

Then, on the evening of February 29, Bahai’s enter the final month of the calendar year with the Nineteen-Day Fast.

THE NINETEEN-DAY FAST

For the entire final month of the Baha’i calendar year—Ala, which lasts 19 days—Baha’is observe a sunrise-to-sunset fast. Many Baha’is regard the Nineteen-Day Fast as one of the greatest obligations of their faith.

Instituted by the Bab and revised by Baha’u’llah, the Nineteen-Day Fast is intended to bring a person closer to God. According to the Bab, the true purpose of the fast is to abstain from everything except divine love. Fasting guidelines, exemptions and more are in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Baha’u’llah’s book of laws.

The Nineteen-Day Fast ends as Baha’is welcome Naw-Ruz, the Baha’i New Year. This year, Naw-Ruz will begin on the evening of March 19.

Vasant Panchami: Hindus and Sikhs don bright colors, welcome spring

red and yellow auspicious vasant panchami

This year, it is considered auspicious for Hindus to wear both yellow and red on February 14, acknowledging the convergence of Vasant Panchami and Valentine’s Day. Traditionally, Vasant Panchami begins the spring cycle that ends with Holi. Photo courtesy of PxHere

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14: Welcome the approaching season of spring and don the color yellow, as Hindus and Sikhs in India and beyond celebrate the festival of Vasant Panchami (spellings vary).

2024: Wearing both yellow and red this Vasant Panchami—in recognition of this year’s convergence of the holiday and Valentine’s Day—is recommended, according to PTC News: “Yellow is the traditional color of Basant Panchami, symbolising the vibrancy of spring, while red is associated with love and passion on Valentine’s Day. Wearing Blend of Yellow and Red on February 14 is considered auspicious.”

Literally the fifth day of spring, Vasant Panchami honors Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of music, art, culture, learning and knowledge. Today begins the spring cycle that will end with Holi, the massive spring festival that is now celebrated internationally.

For Sikhs, Vasant Panchami marks the day in Amritsar when musicians begin singing the Basant Raga, a practice that will continue until the first day of Vaisakh. In some regions of India, kites fill the sky, and the festival is better known as the Basant Festival of Kites.

VASANT PANCHAMI: HONORING SARASWATI, KNOWLEDGE AND SPRING

An ancient celebration stretching back thousands of years, Vasant Panchami reveres Kamadeva, the god of love, and his friend Vasant (the personification of spring). In modern times, however, rituals for the goddess Saraswati have taken precedence over Kamadeva. Hindus treat Vasant Panchami as Saraswati’s birthday, worshiping the goddess and filling her temples with food. Figures of Saraswati are often draped in yellow clothing, and as the deity is considered supreme in many types of knowledge, students ask for her blessings. It is traditional that children begin learning the alphabet or their first words on Vasant Panchami, believing it auspicious to do so. While donning yellow clothing, Hindus often make and distribute yellow foods and treats to neighbors, family and friends.

Did you know? Saraswati is often depicted seated on a white lotus, with four hands. The four hands symbolize the aspects of learning: manas (mind, sense), buddhi (intellect, reasoning), citta (imagination, creativity) and ahamkāra (self consciousness, ego).

A log with a figure of the demoness Holika is placed in a public area on Vasant Panchami, and for 40 days, devotees will add twigs and sticks to form an enormous pile. The pyre is lit on Holi.

Valentine’s Day: Around the world, many forms of love are celebrated

Valentine’s Day candies. This public domain photo can be used and shared by anyone thanks to Wikimedia Commons.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14: Declare love for someone special in your life today—Valentine’s Day has a rich and varied history that includes friendship, sacred marriages and even courtly love! From Finland, where friendship is celebrated, to the religious devotion of three early Christian saints named Valentine, one message is clear: Today is the day to express boundless love, however and to whomever you see fit.

NEWS 2024: The shock when shopping for Valentine’s Day sweets this year was the high price of chocolate. This NPR report explains, “The cost of the key ingredient in chocolate has been grinding upward for over two years. In the past year, it has more than doubled.”

Thank you, Geoffrey Chaucer!

History doesn’t document romantic associations with Valentine’s Day until the High Middle Ages and the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer—and, in particular, Chaucer’s composition Parlement of Foules, for King Richard II of England and Anne of Bohemia. News of the Parlement spread rapidly, and courtly love soon flourished. Lovers across the country began expressing their feelings for each other on Valentine’s Day, with long poems, flowers and notes.

By the end of the 18th century, Valentine cards were being produced and exchanged. Through the decades, Valentines evolved from lace-and-ribbon trinkets to paper stationery to a holiday involving more expensive gifts, chocolates and jewelry. Today, the U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million Valentines are sent in the United States annually—and that does not include the inexpensive Valentine cards exchanged among schoolchildren.

Did you know? The earliest credited “valentine”—aside from the alleged note written in a jail cell by St. Valentine, more than 1,000 years earlier—was composed in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife.

ST. VALENTINE—OR ST. VALENTINES?

Historically, there were three Saint Valentines in Christian history, all of whom are honored on St. Valentine’s Day. Of the three, the most noted Valentine was a Roman priest who assisted persecuted Christians during the 3rd century. This Valentine performed secret weddings for soldiers, and even handed out paper heart cutouts to symbolize God’s love. On the night before his execution, legend has it that Valentine wrote a letter to his jailer’s daughter, signing it, “from your Valentine.”

VALENTINE’S DAY AROUND THE WORLD

Globally, Valentine’s Day is about much more than romantic love. In Finland and Estonia, Valentine’s Day celebrates friendship; in some Latin countries, the holiday is known as “Day of Love and Friendship.” In Asia, two holidays—Valentine’s Day, and its reciprocal holiday, White Day—make for two expensive occasions for exchanging gifts with that special someone. Traditional Hindu and Islamic cultures generally disregard Valentine’s Day, though in Iran, efforts have been made in recent years to establish a festival of love for mothers and wives on Feb. 7.

RECIPES, IDEAS & NEWS ‘FROM THE HEART’

Cooking for your Valentine? Check out recipe ideas from Food Network, Good Housekeeping, Bon Appetit, and even Pillsbury.

 

 

Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras), Ash Wednesday: Christians enter the season of Lent

Rows of paczkis for Fat Tuesday

Paczkis for Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). Photo by Kurman Communications LLC, courtesy of Flickr

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 and WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14: Western Christians officially enter the season of repentance on Ash Wednesday—this year, also Valentine’s Day—following any last indulgences made the day before, on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras.

2024: According to the Catholic News Agency, this year’s convergence of Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day has several advantages. “I think the convergence of Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day can really show us how we’re supposed to do penance — not only as individuals, but in communion with others, and how our penance is always ordered toward our neighbor,” said Father Dustin Dought, executive director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) (read more here). Father Dought also adds: “So if a couple, say, were to have that [one large] meal in the evening, I think there’s something beautiful about, ‘Oh, I’m having a small breakfast or a small lunch; I’m eating in very small portions throughout my day out of love for God, but also because my beloved and I will enjoy our normal-sized meal together.’”

MARDI GRAS, FAT TUESDAY: PANCAKES & PACZKIS

pancake tower for mardi gras

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Traditionally an opportunity for Christian households to cleanse their cupboards of butter and eggs in preparation for Lent, Mardi Gras (literally, “Fat Tuesday”) has evolved far beyond its simple, pancakes-and-paczkis roots. The food-laden traditions of Shrove Tuesday do still exist—in England, pancake races have been held continuously since the 15th century, and doughnut shops worldwide continue to bake millions of paczkis—but the elaborate festivities have morphed into mega-festivals across the globe. Whether it’s Carnival in Brazil, Carnevale in Italy or Mardi Gras in New Orleans, days-long events finally come to a close on Ash Wednesday, as Christians begin the 40 days of Lent.

Recipes! Shrimp gumbo, jambalaya and King Cake can be on your menu, with help from Food Network, Southern Living, Taste of Home and the New York Times.

FROM EPIPHANY TO FAT TUESDAY: CARNIVAL

Epiphany signals the official start of Carnival season, and Montevideo, Uruguay, festivities for Carnival begin in mid-January. In most cities, events typically begin one or two weeks prior to Fat Tuesday, with colorful parades, masquerade dress, festive music and, of course, plenty of sweet and fried breads. Whether it’s the Polish paczki, the English pancake or the Swedish semla, the tradition of using sugar, lard, butter and eggs on Fat Tuesday has as many cultural variations as nations that celebrate.

In the UK and Ireland, the week prior to Ash Wednesday is known as “Shrovetide,” ending on Shrove Tuesday and always involving pancakes. Shrove Tuesday is derived from the word shrive, which means “to confess.” The Christian Mardi Gras began in Medieval Europe, although Venice remains one of the most sought-after destinations for the holiday.

Did you know? “Carnival” derives from the Latin carne levare, which means, “to take away meat.”

Across the world, in Rio de Janeiro, Carnival has become such a massive event—so much so, in fact, that the country attracts 70 percent of its tourists during this time! Mardi Gras came to the United States in 1699, when French explorers Pierre and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne were sent to defend France’s claim on the territory of Louisiane. Today, Mardi Gras reigns strong in New Orleans.

ashes Ash Wednesday

Receiving ashes on the forehead is traditional on Ash Wednesday. Photo courtesy of PickPik

REPENT AND BEGIN LENT ON ASH WEDNESDAY

In representation of the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert, most Christians observe the 40 days of Lent (excluding Sundays) in preparation for Easter. On Ash Wednesday, able adults fast and able Christians abstain from meat and practice repentance.

Records indicate that from the earliest centuries, the days preceding Jesus Christ’s death were filled with a solemnity of fasting and penitence. The custom of clergy placing ashes upon the foreheads of the faithful is rooted in the practice of doing so as a sign of mourning and repentance to God; traditionally, palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are burned into ashes for Ash Wednesday services, and the ashes are then blessed. The Catholic Church permits ashes on the forehead for anyone who wishes to receive them—not just baptized Catholics—and the practice of ashes is kept by Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists and Anglicans.