Traditionally Shrove Tuesday (Mardi gras) is the day that Christians eat up all the rich foods (including pancakes) before the forty day season of Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. This year is special as the celebrations of Lent, Ramadan and the Lunar New Year all coincide – a rare occurrence that won’t happen again until 2029. The festivals all align due to the synchronisation of several long solar, lunar and lunisolar calendar cycles. So, 75% of the world population would have been involved in a religious festival starting Tuesday/ Wednesday and lasting for up to six weeks. The convergence of these major holidays from different cultural and religious traditions highlights the diversity of global celebrations and the complex interactions between the various calendar systems.
I wonder what the long term implications of these religious observances eg the fasting and sexual abstinence of Ramadan or the feasting and partying of the Lunar New Year has on workforce efficiency and birthrate. The majority of people looking to something beyond and above them. Prioritising what spirituality means to them.
What about Lent celebrations? Christianity has the most to celebrate. We have a God who personally loves so very much that He sacrificed Himself to bring us to Him. Yet sometimes it seems that we are inconsistent and casual about the way we celebrate and remember His goodness to us. We do pick and choose. We pick the pancakes and choose against the fasting. We pick the pancake tossing and racing but choose against the Lent Bible study. We pick the one stop gratification and choose against long term commitment.
Let’s remember Lent is more than the pancakes!