Have you noticed that some of the most significant religious observances are accompanied by a period of fasting?

In the month of Ramadhan, Muslims fasted up until the day before Eid-ul-Fitr, the festival celebrating the breaking of the fast.

Just a few days ago, Hindus in T&T observed an eight-day fast in preparation for a night of devotion to Lord Shiva called Shivaratri. And Easter, the Christian celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, has as its forerunner, Lent.

Every year, Roman Catholics and Anglicans across the country look forward to Lent, a period of penitence preceding Easter and marked by 40 days of fasting beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday. There is evidence that Lent was observed as early as the 4^th Century, but the duration of the period varied from place to place and at different times.

History records that by the early Middle Ages, throughout the greater part of the Western Church, the fast began on Ash Wednesday and went on for 40 weekdays, all of which were fast days (hence the Latin name Quadrageisma), and six Sundays. The first day of the Lenten fast, the Day of Ashes, is sacred to Roman Catholic and Anglicans and symbolizes the need to be penitent during Lent. The blessed palms which remain from the previous Palm Sunday are burnt and the ashes are blessed and used during Mass on the Day of Ashes (Ash Wednesday). This act of using ashes as a sign of repentance dates back to the Old Testament where persons like King David shed his regal garb for sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance and mourning.

The rules of fasting during Lent have been simplified over the years. In the early days the rule was that one meal would be eaten in the evening. Meat was forbidden during the entire period, even on Sundays. At a later date, milk, cheese and eggs were added to the negative list. Within Roman Catholicism the following changes were made over the years: the time of the one meal advanced from 3 p.m. to noon. In the ninth century some beverages were permitted in the evening. Later on St Thomas Aquinas sanctioned the custom of taking a small quantity of food with the beverage, some liquid (tea, coffee, or light chocolate) was allowed in the morning with bread or toast and later on meat was allowed. At first the eating of meat was restricted to Sundays only but this eventually extended to five weekdays. The Church also granted exemptions for reasons of health and age.

Today much of the rigour associated with Lent in the early days is no longer applicable. According to Fr Christian Pereira the important thing is that "when you fast you give up something that is good and you are asked to focus on the fundamental parts of life". He said fasting during lent was an opportunity to express a deeper faith that would sustain you. It is also a means of showing solidarity with those who have no choice but to fast.

The Roman Catholic priest said that over the years much of the rules concerning fasting have changed. "If you don't do it, it is not a sin," said Pereira. He said that many choose to have just bread and water. Others observe a reduction in the quantity of food that they usually eat. Many still observe the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays and Wednesdays and using fish as a protein substitute.

Anglican Dean, Knolly Clarke, warned that these acts of piety during lent "are not ends in themselves and therefore must not be done pretentiously and ostentatiously."

The period of preparation will climax on Easter Sunday when the resurrection of Jesus is celebrated by Christians throughout the country.