Why is Lent needed before Easter and why does it last 48 days?

In Christianity, fasting is considered a period of internal preparation for the Holy Resurrection of Christ – Easter, which is considered the most important church holiday. That is why preparation for her meeting is the most thorough and lengthy.

Lent was called Great Lent both because of its spiritual significance and because of its time frame – in the Orthodox tradition it is the longest and covers seven weeks, which is 48 days.

The first six weeks are Holy Pentecost, and the final, seventh week is Holy Week. The calendar boundaries of fasting change annually depending on the date of Easter, but its duration remains unchanged and is 48 days.

Why Lent precedes Easter

“In the first years of Christianity, not all believers fasted for 40 days, but primarily former pagans who were preparing to receive the sacrament of baptism. It was traditionally performed on major holidays, in particular on the eve of Easter. Preparation lasted 40 days and involved a change in the internal state through instructions, prayer and abstinence. After overcoming this path, on Holy Saturday, the sacrament was performed on them,” the publication notes.

The Christians themselves at that time fasted only during Holy Week – that is, seven days.

Later, showing spiritual solidarity with those who were preparing for baptism, the community decided to fast with them, supporting them not only with teachings, but also with prayer and bodily restraint. That is why modern fasting before Easter consists of two parts – Holy Pentecost and Holy Week.

Why does fasting last seven weeks?

The OCU explained that this is due to the peculiarities of the liturgical account. Holy Pentecost lasts exactly 40 calendar days – from the Monday after Forgiveness Sunday to the Friday before Lazarus Saturday. Lazarus Saturday itself and the following Palm Sunday, together with the six days of Holy Week, add another eight days.

Thus there are 48 days of preparation, ending with Easter.