This reminds me of an article in Eureka Street this week on secularisation of Christian festivals. In Why Good Friday should not be gambled, Andrew Hamilton argues that secularisation of Christian holidays is natural for a society that increasingly moves away from Christianity and religion. He thinks that the only hope of preserving Good Friday is as a historical holiday more like Anzac day. He makes a good point that earlier Christians didn’t have public holidays for their festivals and that:

Jesus was put to death on a weekday. The soldiers who did the job gambled their time away. He was killed shortly after he challenged the commercialisation of the Temple and the corporatisation of religious faith. His trial and executions were the day’s public entertainment.

It’s interesting to note that St Patrick was a missionary in a pagan society. He didn’t have a public holiday in which to deliver his message to the people of Ireland. He is celebrated there as someone who moved amongst the people and lead from amongst them rather than dominating and standing above.

I was interested to read that lent derives from the German word for spring “lenz” (or Dutch “lente”) but in Australia of course, it corresponds to the start of autumn. It is also thought that the fasting may have arisen due to the “gap” in the food cycle that occurs at the start of spring when winter stores have run out but no new crops have been grown yet. The change of season in the southern hemisphere at lent can still work with the symbology. As we move towards Easter, the weather turns colder and the leaves die from deciduous trees. In Brisbane where I live, we get colder weather and usually a month of drizzling rain at lent. But either way, the Easter becomes associated with bleak, cold and colourless days.

I also learnt today that lent is not just about fasting: there are three disciplines that are traditionally observed: fasting, prayer and almsgiving. The idea is there is a focus on reforming your self, your relationship with God and your Christian practice towards your neighbour.

Based on my previous reading of liturgical history, I would guess that the emphasis on fasting during lent arose during the medieval period since this was a time where popular theology tended towards extreme penance. The Christian world-view during this time became increasingly hierarchical and the threat of damnation and hell became a major theme in church teaching. I can’t remember the exact theory but my recollection is that this all came about as the church became increasingly intertwined with state power and needed to exercise control over its subjects (using the carrot and stick approach).

Of course, post-reformation lent is sometimes non-existent or just watered down where as it seems there is room to revive other aspects of lent such as the prayer and almsgiving. Prayer doesn’t have to gloomy when we think of it as a conversation with our creator, a rediscovery of our purpose and rekindling of our appreciation for creation and the miracle of life. Likewise, almsgiving can be just as joyful as giving presents at Christmas.

Questions in my mind now are: what do others make of the fact that lent occurs in autumn in the southern hemisphere? Are there any churches or Christian groups pushing the envelope when it comes to lent or is it a declining tradition?