Symbols and Traditions
This color is worn by priests during Lent to symbolize repentance and penance.
Purple
Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on this day begins Holy Week.
Palm Sunday
Giving up something enjoyable like sweets or social media during Lent.
Fasting
This 40-day season begins on Ash Wednesday and prepares Christians for Easter.
Lent
What are the most sacrificed or given up things for Lent.
Candy, Social media, Alchohol, and electronics
The word never said or sung aloud in many churches during Lent.
Alleluia
This Thursday commemorates the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist.
Holy Thursday
This pillar involves acts of charity, like donating to the poor or helping others.
Almsgiving
This day marks the start of Lent, when ashes are placed on foreheads in the shape of a cross.
Ash Wednesday
This Old English word meaning "lengthen" or "spring" gave Lent its name, referring to the longer days as spring approaches.
Lencten
This fish dish is a common Friday meal during Lent for Catholics.
Fish fry
The three days from Holy Thursday evening to Easter Sunday evening, the most sacred time in the liturgical year.
Easter Triduum
Talking to God, either alone or in community, is a key part of this Lenten pillar.
Prayer
Lent lasts this many days, not counting Sundays, mirroring Jesus' time in the desert.
40 days
Ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from these burned items saved from the previous year's Palm Sunday services.
Palm branches
The liturgical season after Lent, beginning on Easter Sunday.
Eastertide
The day Jesus was crucified; observed with fasting and solemn services.
Good Friday
Catholics often abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent as part of this practice.
Fasting
The last week of Lent, beginning with Palm Sunday and ending before Easter.
Holy Week
McDonald's created this popular sandwich in 1962 to help Catholics in Ohio who abstained from meat on Fridays during Lent.
Filet o fish
This ancient Lenten devotion involves walking the path of Jesus' suffering with 14 stops or "stations."
The stations of the cross
What is the other name for Holy Thursday
Maundy Thursday
This "positive" aspect of Lent encourages doing good deeds or extra prayer instead of just giving things up.
Adding Spiritual practice/Prayer
Many Christians use this practice of self-examination and confession during Lent.
In the 1600s, these German monks survived Lent on nothing but this beverage as their only food during an extreme fast.
Beer