10 Women Share What They're Actually Doing For Lent This Year

Today, known as Ash Wednesday within Christianity, marks the start of the Lenten season, the 40-day long period between now and Easter Sunday. Those who choose to adhere to traditional guidelines will celebrate by fasting (eating one full meal plus two smaller ones each day) and abstaining from eating meat on Fridays. Meanwhile, others will choose not to fast but still give up or avoid a source of pleasure (like chocolate, alcohol, or social media) until Lent ends.

However a person celebrates Lent, the general goal is to remove distractions from their faith and to spend Lent recommitting themselves to God. Obviously, this isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavour, so how someone chooses to observe Lent is a very individual decision.

To get a better idea of how people are celebrating Lent this year, we asked R29 readers what their plans are, and why they choose to observe in Lent.