The season of Lent began last week on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, coinciding with Valentine’s Day, and will end on Easter Day, which is April 1. The season of Lent is 40 days of remembrance, sacrifice, fasting, prayer and forgiveness. For Roman Catholics, it is a huge part of their tradition and faith.

On Ash Wednesday, during the church service, the priest or pastor will put a cross on people’s foreheads with ashes, as a symbol of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

“I decided to give up two of my favorite foods and also fast every Friday,” said junior business management major, Josh Sneeringer. “I am giving up all Dominos food—that’s a hard one for me. I’m also a Sheetz enthusiast, but I just count that with Dominos because it’s all fast food. I am also giving up Pop-tarts. I am fasting for 12 hours every Friday.”

To Sneeringer, the season of Lent is a time of reflection and preparation for what is to come. He added that it is really important in not only the Roman Catholic faith, but other Christian beliefs too, to get ready for the coming of Jesus Christ.

“[I hope to] get some clarity in my life,” said Sneeringer, “whether it be school or for relationships and a future internship that I’m working on getting.”

For people who are unaware of the season of Lent, it is the time preceding Easter because that us the Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the grave is celebrated.

“Everyone is giving up something or working on something they feel is going to help better themselves for Christ,” said Sneeringer. “This is a time solely for preparation. You don’t need to do something big or extravagant, like fasting for 40 days, but doing the little things and even just working on your prayer life.”

Sneeringer and his family all do the same thing for lent, as do many other Roman Catholic families around the world. Fridays and Sundays are both days of fasting, reflection and prayer. Everyone will give up something and tell the rest of the family what they gave up, so they make sure they don’t forget. Most families, when they fast, will give up meat for that day and have pasta, seafood or anything else that is not meat related.

Many catholic churches have fish fries on Fridays for people to come together and socialize. Also, many Roman Catholic churches will do “stations of the cross,” which is a procession of different events surrounding the day Jesus was crucified.

The season of Lent is also a time of confession of your sins in the Roman Catholic Church.

“It’s just a time of prayer and reflection,” said Sneeringer.