To Lent or Not To Lent…
On Christmas morning, 2023, I sat blurry eyed on the sofa at daft-o’clock-in-the-morning and considered two things: It’s never too early to drink sparkling wine when you disguise it as Bucks Fizz, and the kids don’t give a hoot about Christmas!
They only see the gifts. Which they tore through like a pair of deranged chimps fighting over a banana! To them, Christmas equals gifts. That’s the meaning. And not the giving element either, just the receiving bit. But I can’t blame them. We have no family traditions. No religious connections. There’s nothing we do at Christmas, or during any other holiday or festive celebration throughout the year that goes deeper than the surface level of what it represents commercially.
And most of those yearly events involve eating chocolates and sweets which is the side of annual celebrations which really bugs me. Especially now that I just look at a piece of cake and put a stone on. But I get it. I take full responsibility. I appreciate the fact my knowledge of the historical meanings behind many of the traditions celebrated throughout the world is lacking but that ends now!
Or it did on Shrove Tuesday to be exact!
What’s the point of Pancake Day?
On Pancake Day I said to myself, what’s the point? Why do people eat pancakes and what’s this Lent business all about? If I was going to spend two hours in the kitchen flipping fried batter for two kids who don’t even like pancakes but still demand a pile of them then I was going to discover the meaning of it goddamit.
A quick internet search revealed that the recipe for pancakes can be found in cook books dating back to the 1400’s. And the ingredients represent the four pillars of the Christian faith: flour for sustenance, eggs for creation, milk for purity and salt for wholesomeness. I liked that idea. I was also intrigued by the term Mardi Gras which means “Fat Tuesday,” in French and seemed to suggest a green light for a bit of over-indulgence! But there’s a catch of course. 40 days and 40 nights of fasting and the abstinence of certain luxuries. There’s more to it than that but it’s likely you already know all this so let’s jump right to the juicy bit.
Taking part in Lent: 40 days and 40 nights
I had this ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous idea to give up booze, cheese and chocolate for 40 days. I was inspired. The dopamine hit was so strong and delicious. I felt powerful. Righteous. I explained Lent, 40 days, 40 nights, and the whole giving something up for this period of reflection to the wife and kids. The kids were very interested. The wife broke off a chunk of cheddar, said, “You serious, Bruv?” then walked off laughing.
I explained to the kids how we could take part in Lent each year. It could be a new tradition in our family. How it’s an opportunity to look at some of our habits and possible addictions, and reflect on how they affect our wellbeing. For me personally, it had to be something really difficult because I get a kick out of punishing myself.
Since the age of 12, I’m currently 42, the longest I’ve gone without some form of alcohol passing through my lips is three weeks. On two occasions the aim was to abstain from alcohol for a month but I never made it to the end. Nothing drastic happened. I just came to the realisation that wine is great and I’m not old enough to drink a cup of tea before bed.
My eight-year old, Arlo, had to think very hard. He considered giving up watching TV but quickly realised 40 days was waaay longer than he’d first calculated. Ove, six years old, didn’t overthink it. He said, “Juice” and Arlo agreed immediately.
So how are we doing? We are not yet half way through the period of Lent and I’m happy to confirm that the good thing about introducing new traditions is… there’s always next year!