Goodness, Lent sure crept up on me this year. In the past I have done coffee, FB, booze. I also believe you can commit to doing something rather than giving something up. We are straight up Catholic in my family. We observe every year. It definitely helps to give Easter greater meaning, I usually feel very accomplished by Easter Sunday and feel even more deserving of the Lords blessings. That's just a personal thought though.
For the past several years I feel like Lent has become a social trend in this massive city I live in. Everyone is giving something up regardless of their faith background. I find it intriguing but more power to them.
I'm pumped about this, too! That said, I think I will still try to go easy on the treats. Growing up, Easter candy/chocolates were an absolute no-no until after church on Easter Sunday, pretty sure I can stick to that. Not that I won't eat ANY junk during Lent, but I will still try to limit it. I think the pregnancy exemption applies more to things like meat or dairy, for instance on Good Friday we (Eastern Catholics, never sure how Roman Catholic rules might differ) don't eat any meat or dairy products and aren't really supposed to eat any large meals (more like snacks through the day), we also abstain from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays and during Holy Week, pretty sure none of that applies to me this year though!
Never heard the dairy products thing. In my experience it's only no meat.
Yeah, it's an Eastern Catholic thing. Our rules are a little different:
In the Byzantine tradition, there are two types of fasting, simple and strict. Strict abstinence is obligatory two times during the Lenten season: On Pure Monday and Great and Holy Friday. On these days, all meat and dairy is forbidden, including eggs and all egg and dairy product derivatives.
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