Ellen Cameron
Staff Writer

After the hoopla of Mardi Gras, which was significantly dampened by the weather, the 40 days of Lent began today, on Ash Wednesday.

The effects are obvious in the school, and sometimes tangible. Students with dark (and often smeared) crosses of ash are Catholic and sometimes Baptists, while murmurs of giving things up for Lent permeate the school. I would know; I’ve already owe my cuss jar $.75. 

But Lent is more than giving up things, which often becomes an excuse to go on a diet for more personal than religious reasons. Many students also add religious devotion to their day by reading the Bible or praying more often in Lent .

Lent is the 40 days preceding Easter, the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. However, Lent is not about Jesus’ death, but his life, and his refusal to submit to temptation from the Devil in the desert. The tradition is mimicked in other cultures, such as with Ramadan in Islam, and has disputed roots in Judaism.

Lent will end on Sunday, April 4th.

For more information about Lent or Good Friday, click here.