Mid-Lent is the third Thursday of Lent. 

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Maundy Thursday. 

During the 40 days before Easter, Roman Catholics are supposed to abstain from all bodily pleasures, including the consumption of meat. 

This is intended to remember the fasting of Jesus, who spent 40 days in the desert before beginning his ministry. 

Mid-Lent is a practice that dates back to the Middle Ages and continues to this day in some villages of France and its former colonies. The Mid-Lenten was also once in France the Feast of the laundresses, of the flowers of coal and carriers of water. 

In prior centuries, Mid-Lent was an important date as it would be the day to start to restock the foods that are not eaten during Lent. With the advent of refrigeration, the need to have this halfway point marked out has faded away. 

The word “lent” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ‘lencten’ which literally means “spring”. ‘Lencten’ has a root in the Germanic word for long, which assigned itself to Spring as the days become longer. 

The Easter period influences a range of festivals and events. The following is an overview of the events. Click the name of the event to read more about an individual event.