In the traditional churches the Great Fasting Period of Lenten Period, which is held before Easter started.
The Lenten period started for the Armenian Apostolic Church on Monday (February 12th) and on the Ash Wednesday for the Catholic Church on February 14th. The Wednesday which is called 40 days before Easter, is called the Ash Wednesday and is considered the starting day of the fasting season. This year, the Ash Wednesday was celebrated on the Day of St. Valentinus, known as the Day of Love, which was martyred for preaching the divine meaning of love.
The 40-day fasting in the Lenten period is being held to remember the 40 days in which Jesus spent in prayer and fasting in the desert just before starting his service in public.
In the Orthodox Churches, in the last 10 days of the Lenten period which starts 49 days before Easter, the death of Jesus Christ is remembered, and meat and meat products are not consumed during this period. In the Catholic Church the meat is not eaten on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Easter Day, which is not held on a fixed date every year and is celebrated on Sunday in the majority of the world’s churches, is also called Resurrection Day.
