Lent is the best thing for an overindulged, self-obsessed generation ...Middle East

This piece of etymological exploration is particularly relevant because it gives its name to Shrove Tuesday, an important day in the Christian calendar. Many of us will think of it in more secular terms, as Pancake Day, but tomorrow marks the eve of Lent, a period of 40 days and 40 nights leading up to Easter and which Christians observe through prayer, fasting, charity and abstinence.

It is a time to express devotion to spiritual matters rather than more corporeal pleasures, and some people are inspired by the arrival of Lent to make a voluntary, more contemporary, sacrifice, such as giving up forms of personal amusement – gambling or social media, for example.

In this era of self-absorption and self-gratification, the idea that we might give ourselves a break is to be encouraged. Fasting outside the religious context is practised increasingly for health and dietary reasons, so it’s not a huge stretch to give it some wider significance that plays into mental and psychological refreshment.

But that is essentially a vanity option. While the weight-loss drugs have identifiable health benefits, many simply take it to make themselves look better. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, but there’s also nothing wrong with attempting to make deprivation a more meaningful exercise.

square KATE LISTER

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Lent is based on religious doctrine, and it’s unrealistic and unreasonable to expect non-believers to buy into its symbolism. But it comes at just the right time of year, when the renewal of nature is in the air, to inspire people towards a period of self-reflection and spiritual significance.

So have your pancakes. Their original purpose was to use up the eggs, flour and sugar in the house before the period of abstinence began, and there aren’t many more delicious ways to mark the start of a fast. And, if it’s not your thing, forget about the religious meaning attached to a 40-day period of temperance. It’s merely good for you. And it’s got far fewer side-effects than Ozempic.

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