MONDAY, MARCH 3, TUESDAY, MARCH 4 and WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5: By Wednesday, the world’s 2.4 billion Christians will have officially entered the season of repentance known as Lent—following any last indulgences made by Western Christians on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras.
Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday: Pancakes & Paczkis
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.
Want to try making paczkis at home? Frankly, most of us who are familiar with these calorie-laden treats prefer to purchase them ready made. They come with a wide range of fillings and coatings from sugar to icing. However, if you want a step-by-step guide for DIY paczkis, the website “Seasons & Suppers” (which is based in Canada) provides about the clearest instructions we’ve found online with lots of photos and tips for beginners. The host of the website, “Jennifer,” insists that this can done in 3 hours and 20 minutes, but we’re skeptical that first timers could pull it off that easily. Dare to try it yoursef? Visit Jennifer’s Authentic Polish Pączki Recipe.
In England, pancake races have been held continuously since the 15th century. There are a few spots in the U.S. that carry on this tradition—search for pancake races in your region, if you hope to find one. However, the true home of this tradition is the UK. In fact, Historic UK has a great overview of this tradition, which includes a quick summary of how these “pancakes” are made in the UK.
But annual pre-Lenten festivities have morphed into mega-festivals across the globe that largely eclipse any of the original meaning of preparing for a fast. 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.
WANT 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.
Lenten Fasting Traditions Vary Widely around the World
The world’s 2.4 billion Christians follow many different traditions, today—and that’s especially true when it comes to fasting and other spiritual practices related to Lent. The inspiration for Christians to prayerfully mark Lent by denying themselves some pleasures—including rich foods—is a remembrance of the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert as described in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
However, today, that practice varies widely.
CLEAN MONDAY and THE FAST OF GREAT LENT
Eastern Christians (mainly members of “Orthodox” churches) are called each year to the strictest of fasts—the Fast of Great Lent. That annual fast does not begin on Ash Wednesday—but on what the Orthodox call “Clean Monday” (March 3 in 2025). Following the daily practices of a traditional Orthodox Lenten fast is a challenge, even for the most observant Orthodox families. Some fast from meat on Wednesdays, Fridays and during Holy Week—while others fast from meat throughout the entirety of Lent. Some families follow the strictest fast, which eliminates all meat, fish, dairy products, wine or oil throughout Lent. There also are some days of special exception during Lent. So, major Orthodox denominations (and some independent software developers) offer “apps” and even old-fashioned wall calendars to help the faithful keep track of daily readings, prayers and occasions when various foods can be consumed.
ROMAN CATHOLIC FASTING
Catholics still are called to fasting during Lent, but that call is far more flexible than the Orthodox practices. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says “Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.” This call to fasting is “obligatory from age 18 until age 59″—however that term “fasting” is different than in other religious traditions in which the term refers to preventing any sustenance from passing the lips, even water. The USCCB says fasting means prayerfully reducing what we eat so that “a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal.”
HOW MANY AMERICANS ACTUALLY FAST?
“Tens of millions of American Christians” will be fasting during Lent in 2025—no question. Studies by pollsters and sociologists find fasting to be a widespread, meaningful practice nationwide.
However, it’s also true to say: “In 2025, most Christians don’t fast.”
A COMPARISON WITH MUSLIM TRADITION—Christian fasting generally pales in comparison with the challenge of strict—nothing-passes-the-lips-from-dawn-to-sundown—fasting in Islam. What’s more, repeated studies in recent decades have shown that about 80 percent of American Muslim adults fast during Ramadan—and worldwide that percentage of Muslims, especially in Muslim-majority countries, rises to more than 9o percent who fast. (Islam has always exempted frail or otherwise health-challenged adults, or those who are traveling during Ramadan, from fasting.)
CATHOLICS—According to Pew Research, about 4 in 10 Catholics say they fast according to their church’s custom—so that’s more than 20 million of the 52 million Catholics living in the U.S. Asking about Lenten practices in a different way, Pew found that 47 percent of Catholics say they “gave up something or did something extra for Lent”—which is close to 25 million people.
PROTESTANTS—Pew also found that Protestants “sometimes fast, with Black Protestants most likely to do so (34%)—and fewer White evangelical Protestants (16%) and White non-evangelical Protestants (7%) fast.” It’s hard to translate that data into numbers—but Pew reports that 140 million Americans identify themselves with some type of Protestant church. So, even with the lower percentages of individuals fasting—that’s millions more.
ORTHODOX—Pew studies do not break out a percentage of Orthodox Christians, living in America, who fast each year. That’s because the “Orthodox” population is difficult to define and measure. Sociologists of religion say there are likely somewhere between 1 and 3 million Orthodox Christians in the U.S.—a total that is segmented across more than a dozen historically Orthodox denominations. Church leaders often have claimed upwards of 6 million members. (How can one group be counted with such widely different totals? Please read Matthew Namee’s very detailed history of this question in the Orthodox History website.) Bottom line: The vast majority of the world’s 260 million Eastern Christians live in other parts of the world from Europe to Asia and Africa. That’s where distinctive Orthodox Lenten cuisine—much of it distinctively flavored vegetarian dishes—can be found in its richest and most colorful array.
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