I've come to the conclusion that I'm either crazy or my willpower is having delusions of grandeur... because I've decided to give up Facebook for the Lenten season.
Actually, I'm probably leaning more towards the crazy end of the balance.
Why do we give up something for Lent, anyway? Do we have to? Historically, the period of Lent had three varying purposes. Today, we know it best as an act of penitence and sacrifice. Lent is also related to baptism and renewal, which makes sense because it occurs leading up to the spring season when winter snows start to melt and nature begins to make way for summer. The link to the article at the bottom of the post also has some interesting tidbits and facts you probably didn't know about Lent- like the fact that is it quite likely that pretzels originated from the holiday!
Originally, I was going to give up chocolate. Then I realized that I'd be cheating myself out of the bag of Hershey's Kisses my parents gave me for Valentine's Day, which I'd put into two cocktail glasses and displayed on my bedside table. So conspicuously tempting, I didn't think I could REALLY give up the chocolate for forty days, seeing as that would encompass chocolate ice cream, Aero peppermint bars, and chocolate milk. Impossible!
It suddenly strikes me as slightly funny and insane for thinking I can do the same with Facebook. For how many people is it not an automatic reflex for you to sign in to your Facebook or Twitter account as soon as your computer's booted up? I admit to being as Facebook-hooked as much as the next person. I posted one last status before my self-imposed hiatus. Within minutes, I had horrified, disbelieving reactions in the comments below. I'm actually already feeling even more motivated to be able to give it up. I'm not eliminating my entire online presence (I'm just not strong enough for that!). Since I do use Facebook to keep in touch with long-distance friends and family, or to make plans over Facebook inboxes and chat, I've decided to continue using my Hotmail, which sadly enough is nearly obsolete with texting and Twitter now. I'm going to do weekly posts on this blog about my life without Facebook, and hope I'm not slowly going mental without it.
Thank God for recipes on Pinterest and chocolate, because now I can bake guilt-free all through Lent :)
This blog post was written with the help of:
Why Do Christians Give Up Something for Lent?
Hey Shanda,
ReplyDeleteI used to do a blog in my Sociology of Religion class and it was really interesting and thought provoking. I read the article you posted about why Christians Give Up Something for Lent and I found a few things particularly interesting, the first being the origin of Carnival (which I felt like looking up on Dictionary.com)
"the season immediately preceding Lent, often observed with merrymaking; Shrovetide....
Origin:
1540–50; < Italian carnevale, Old Italian carnelevare taking meat away, equivalent to carne flesh (< Latin carnem, accusative of caro ) + levare < Latin levÄre to lift"
That is really neat to know! Something I never would have guessed on my own. Of course I think the origin of pretzels is also interesting so I looked that up too (on Wiki, which-granted-is not a valid source) and found that there are many theorized origins on pretzels (German name) including an association with Lent:
"As time passed, pretzels became associated with both Lent and Easter. Pretzels were hidden on Easter morning just as eggs are hidden today, and are particularly associated with Lent, fasting, and prayers before Easter.[8]"
For an interesting read on Pretzels:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretzel
One other thing from your posted article that I am curious about is the comment that Lent is "also meant to cause the practitioner to think about his/her faith and to replace bad behavior with something positive." From nearly all the accounts of giving up something for Lent that I have personally heard, not many people give up a truly bad behaviour (other than people who try and give up smoking etc), but they do tend to give up something that would require self-disciplin and will power. It seems to me that even Jesus fasting is not giving up "bad behaviour" as the article suggests, but rather engaging in an act of self discipline. Would you say that the article has made a false statement, or is there something that I am missing?
Hopefully my comments provoke the academic discussions that I am going for and missing SO much since school has ended (which I may be suffering some form of brain-engaging withdrawal from, if you know what I mean)
xox Steph
Thanks for the comment, Steph! I really miss this kind of discussion from university years, so if this blog can generate that kind of interest, so much the better! "Brain-engaging withdrawal" sounds awfully familiar....
ReplyDeleteI looked up various articles while writing this post on the origins and purpose of Lent. It makes sense that the holiest days of the calendar would be the time for worshipers, regardless of sect or church, to really think about what and why they have the kind of faith they do. For the most part, when I talk to other Christians about giving up something for Lent, it is nearly always something that you enjoy. Lent is not your New Year's resolution (and who keeps those, anyway? I'm barely holding on to mine!)
Penitence is certainly part of Lent, since we are sinners and Christ died for our sins to grant us eternal life in God's kingdom, but sacrifice is probably what most people, at least those I know, associate with it today. When the youth group served at last night's Pancake Supper at church for Shrove Tuesday, the other leader asked the youth what they were giving up- and it had to be something that would be a challenge. So in answer to your question, yes. Giving up something for Lent is usually an act of self-discipline for forty days, not necessarily an attempt to kick bad habits or behaviour.
I didn't know all these nifty facts about Lent either until I found that article, and I'm a fairly regular church-goer who went to Sunday School when I was young enough for that! Pretzels just may be my new favourite snack after this. It's good to always learn something new every day- frankly, I shudder to think of the alternative :)
I'm sure looking forward to seeing more awesome comments and questions from you!
Shanda xoxo
In the spirit of learning something new everyday, I would also like to comment on the Pancake Supper. Honestly I have been noticing it pop up lately and only just made the connection now. At first I saw it on a church sign on the way home and make a comment to Jared along the lines of "I may not like pancakes much [which is true] but bacon and eggs for supper would be delicious!" I did not know it was an actual event at that time. Furthermore, today at work someone mentioned pancake supper Wednesday which was likely a play on Shrove Tuesday. Now based on my Wiki research combined with other non-reliable sources I see that pancakes are chosen because the ingredients of the aforementioned are generally those restricted during Lent:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday
I also saw that in one church in Ottawa Pancake Tuesday is hosted by the men of the parish, would you say that is a general trend or a church-by-church decision from what you've experienced, although I admire the chivalry and 'gentlemanliness' I am curious why this is the case, in that church or any (as in how it started that the men would cook the Pancake Supper).
What really caught my interest is that Mardi Gras is another name for Shrove Tuesday. I myself have only seen Mardi Gras to be a drinking-partying festival type event, one that I associate with almost the opposite from a religious ceremony/festival. Upon reading some of Mardi Gras on Wiki...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras
... I see that the celebration also has to do with indulging in the activities that one would give up for Lent. Still I feel as though the Mardi Gras celebrations have separated from their roots, what do you think?
Furthermore, I noticed this comment "In Newfoundland small tokens are frequently cooked in the pancakes. Children take delight in discovering the objects, which are intended to be divinatory. For example, the person who receives a coin will be wealthy; a nail that they will be (or marry) a carpenter, and such.[5]" It was in the Wiki site and I wonder if you or your mom have ever done anything like that, I think that is an interesting (not to mention hazardous :P ) tradition lol.
I think that the origin of the name Shrove Tuesday is interesting as well! I'm sure you know it, but here is the Encyclopedia version from Dictionary.com that I found informative
"the day immediately preceding Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent in the Christian churches in the West). It occurs between February 2 and March 9, depending on the date of Easter. Shrove, derived from "shrive," refers to the confession of sins usual in the European Middle Ages as a preparation for Lent. Shrove Tuesday eventually acquired the character of a carnival or festival in European countries, and many customs developed in connection with this day that precedes the beginning of the Lenten fast. Traditionally pancakes were eaten on Shrove Tuesday, because eggs and fat, forbidden during the Lenten fast, were used."
Very interesting!
Pancake suppers have long been a tradition at our church! It's not specifically the men who put them on for us, but the Outreach Committee and other volunteers from the congregation. This year, youth group participated as servers because Outreach said all funds raised from the supper this year would go to send several of our youth members to the Maritime Youth Conference held in New Brunswick in May. So we are quite excited about that, since that will mean parents will not have to pay most or even all of the fee for their child to attend for a weekend of fun activities with other church youth from all over the maritimes.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea of the connections between Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday- although it fits with your earlier comment of the origin of "carnival". It's almost like Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday are all one big last hurrah of enjoying the things you like before Lent begins and you are then required to give up or sacrifice something, hence why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, because the ingredients are not allowed to be used during Lent. I don't know anyone who actively gives up eggs, meat, and fat after this, since we use them almost every day, but the tradition of eating pancakes is still carried out. That's probably why we focus on giving up other things we like.
It sounds like Mardi Gras focuses more on continuous celebration of the season, and Lent has plenty to celebrate when you think about it- Jesus died and rose again, and like advent, which is a period of waiting (the four Sundays before Christmas Day) leading up the birth of Christ, I think Lent is also in a sense about waiting. I'm sure there are more educated folks out there who can give a better answer than I about this, but as a practising Christian, that is just from my personal experience. Ash Wednesday is about remembering your own mortality and your sins- from what I've read, Catholics are marked on their foreheads with ash to symbolize this- so it follows that Lent is kind of like an opportunity to be cleansed.
We Newfies LOVE Pancake Tuesday, or "Pancake Day". This is a tradition my mother has always done for us, and she also grew up with it as well. Coins are cooked into the pancakes, usually quarters or loonies, and they are washed beforehand, of course. We cut our pancakes into small bites as we eat, so if your fork comes down on metal, don't put it in your mouth! ;) It's almost like getting money from the tooth fairy, except in your pancakes once a year, heh heh.
That's awesome that you bake things into pancakes!! lol
ReplyDeleteI think your next thread should be about The Book of Negroes!!