When does the Fast officially end?

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Daylight Saving or Standard time? 😃 [Back in the 40’s-50’s that was always an interesting debate.] And did the same apply for everything, or could you sneak in a midnight snack on Saturday evening and still receive Communion the next morning? [We had to have something to do at Newman Club.]
 
Hi everyone,

Just wondering, i’ve been reading up on when Lent ends after a lot of confusion. I know that it ends on sundown Holy Thursday in the Catholic church (apparently not others?) to make way for the Easter Triduum.

Apparently this was changed by the Catholic Church and that it used to be at midnight Holy Saturday?

I’m just wondering, when was it changed (was it the Second Vatican Council?) and why it was changed?

I haven’t done the calculations myself but doesn’t this mean that the Lent period isn’t a full 40 days?

From my understanding, often people continue giving up whatever they have given up until Easter Sunday but this is not required?

Many thanks and a Happy Easter to all 🙂
 
AustralianGuy said:
[1] Apparently this was changed by the Catholic Church and that it used to be at midnight Holy Saturday? [2] I haven’t done the calculations myself but doesn’t this mean that the Lent period isn’t a full 40 days? [3] From my understanding, often people continue giving up whatever they have given up until Easter Sunday but this is not required?
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  1. I do not know if the Triduum is technically its own liturgical season. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday to either Holy Thursday (before Mass) or Holy Saturday (before the Vigil). The traditional duration of Lent was up through Holy Saturday.
  2. From Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday is 46 days. If you discount the Sundays, it is 40 days. If you go to Holy Thursday, it’s 44 days; discounting Sundays, it’s 38. But the 40 days is now (post-Vatican II) more symbolic. In ancient times, Lent was marked by a serious fast: 40 days of fasting. In some places, it was 8 weeks (fasting 5 days a week); Rome opted for 6 weeks (fasting Mon-Sat) with 4 extra days (Ash Wednesday through Saturday). But we don’t fast for 40 days anymore. We only have to fast for two days because after Vatican II, the Lenten regulations were relaxed big-tme.
  3. Giving something up is not a law of the Church, it is a private (but widespread) pious practice. You are free to give something up on whatever days of Lent you choose.
 
ah okay thanks a heap!

It’s been a pretty confusing thing to look into, I haven’t been able to find anything official from the Vatican on everything so it’s all been based on other websites (including catholic answers’ past discussions).

Happy Easter 🙂
 
Way back, when the Holy Saturday Vigil was conducted in the morning we regarded Lent as complete at noon on Holy Saturday. I can’t find any document on that, but it was common practice.
 
AustralianGuy said:
Hi everyone,

Just wondering, i’ve been reading up on when Lent ends after a lot of confusion. I know that it ends on sundown Holy Thursday in the Catholic church (apparently not others?) to make way for the Easter Triduum.

Apparently this was changed by the Catholic Church and that it used to be at midnight Holy Saturday?

I’m just wondering, when was it changed (was it the Second Vatican Council?) and why it was changed?

I haven’t done the calculations myself but doesn’t this mean that the Lent period isn’t a full 40 days?

From my understanding, often people continue giving up whatever they have given up until Easter Sunday but this is not required?

Many thanks and a Happy Easter to all 🙂
Click to expand...
Happy Easter!
Giving something up is not required, but if you do, I think it would be appropriate that you can break that fast when you start celebrating Easter, whether that’s Saturday supper, or when your parish begins the Easter Vigil (whether you’re at the Vigil or not).
40 is a symbolic number, and I don’t see any necessity that something described as 40 is actually 40 right on.
 
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