What's gone wrong with Lent? When I was growing up in Northern Ireland, it was pretty much mandatory. Now, there are so many opportunities to give things up - New Year's resolutions, Dry January, Sugar-Free Spring - that the traditional Christian fast has become just another version of the 5:2 diet. Forget moderation and repentance, Lent, which began on Wednesday and marks the 40 days before Easter Sunday, is now a chance to sculpt our bodies, cleanse our minds and boast on Facebook about our self-restraint.
The problem starts with Shrove Tuesday, probably the worst prelude imaginable to a 46-day fast. In Rio, they have Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday" sounds far more glamorous in French), with two million scantily clad people sashaying around banging tambourines. In Turkey, they celebrate with folk dancing and a masked parade. In Switzerland, they turn off all the lights and walk through the streets with lanterns. In Iceland, there's "Bursting Day", when everyone eats their own bodyweight in salted meat and peas.
By contrast, the British mark the great occasion of Jesus's trial in the desert by rustling up batches of lumpen pancakes, upon which - when we can prise the burnt bits off the base of the pan - we pile sugar, lemon and any motley ingredients lurking at the back of the fridge. The intention, historically, was to use up the "rich" foods in the cupboards before Lent began - but these days, it's an uninspiring, watered-down excuse for a quick dinner.
As for the resolutions themselves, they're equally thin gruel. Of the three people I know who are actually observing Lent this year, one is forgoing bread and cheese (which she never eats anyway); another's giving up swearing ("because I never stick to the food ones"); and the third has sworn off smartphone games. Only yesterday he spent his trip to work playing Candy Crush, so might have to give that a miss.
One school of thought is that Lent needs a bit of a makeover if it is to appeal to a cynical, self-interested generation. Hence the publicity in Britain given to the news that giving up cigarettes, alcohol and takeaways for Lent could save us 18,425 ($26,330) over our working life. Invest that money wisely, claimed Axa insurance, and this "abstinence fund" could amount to 75,000 in savings by the time we retire.
