[wai-ming]

Thanks for the informative post on Lent.

Someone once asked me what I was "giving up" for Lent. Is personal sacrifice during Lent a requirement for Christians, or just Catholics?

I understand there is a connection between Mardi Gras, Carnival (in Brazil), Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.

Talk about going from one extreme to the other.

[Salvation]

**Mardi Gras, Carnival (in Brazil), Fat Tuesday**

Yes, in anticipation of the heavy fasting and abstinence previously encouraged by the Catholic Church, these festivals were a light-hearted approach (eat-out) to the forty days of perceived suffering during Lent.

I'll see if I can find additonal info about them.