My friend and I were discussing giving things up in March the other day and she was telling me that she was doing "DECHOX". DECHOX is a nationwide sponsored challenge to give up chocolate for March and raise money for life saving heart research, which is obviously a great charity to support. However, I simply replied that I was giving up chocolate for Lent and she asked why, so I thought that there must be so many people that say they are giving up things for Lent, without actually realising why we are doing it. 

There is so much more to the religious celebration than ditching chocolate or other bad habits before Easter, but what exactly is Lent? After you have eaten your Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40 day fasting period (not including Sundays) before Easter. The 40 days of Lent are meant to represent the time that Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness ahead of his ministry.   

The season of Lent does not include Sundays but most believers will still stick to a humble lifestyle on Sundays during Lent.

This year, Lent begins on Wednesday March 1 and ends of Saturday April 15, one day before Easter Sunday. It is worth noting that the dates are dictated by the lunar calendar and change every year.

In the end, everyone makes their own choices regarding their faith but Lent is a chance for people to follow Jesus’ example and give up vices in a bid to grow closer to God as Easter approaches.

Have you given up anything for Lent, Dechox or any other reason this month?

Tweet