People are only just realising that Lent has secret cheat days

Ash Wednesday has arrived, meaning that Christians across the world will be starting their Lenten sacrifice, in which they will give up something until Easter. This year’s Lent runs from Wednesday March 5 until Thursday April 17.

Lent is traditionally a 40-day period when people give up things as an act of sacrifice, self-discipline, and spiritual reflection to grow closer to God and prepare for Easter. However, you may be surprised to learn that there are some secret ‘cheat’ days within this period.

While you may be considering giving up chocolate, sweets, or alcohol, you don’t need to do this for the full 47 days, explains TikTok user The Nerdy Priest. She explained: “I don’t know who needs to hear this, but this is your reminder that Sundays are not counted in the Lenten fast. The 40 days of Lent do not count Sundays. Treat yourself.”

One fellow TikTok user commented: “I feel betrayed! Baptist raised and no one ever told me nothing!” Another wrote: “Why didn’t I know this?! lol. I just went in my calendar to count.” While a third penned: “As a recovering Catholic……WHAT?!?!”

Similarly, writing in the Catholic Herald, Father Kenneth Doyle explained: “The Church has always viewed Sunday as a day of celebration in remembrance of the Resurrection, a kind of ‘little Easter,’ and has never required fasting on Sundays.”

While Catholic Online notes that while some Catholics maintain their Lenten sacrifices on Sundays, it is not a requirement, and taking a break from fasting is completely in line with tradition.

So although you may give up some sweet treats for this period, you can still indulge in these on Sundays, with Richard Price, a confectionary expert from Britsuperstore, commenting: “[During Lent] many choose to give up indulgences such as chocolate, sweets, alcohol, or social media as a form of spiritual reflection, or a test of self-discipline.

“However, while the total time from Ash Wednesday to Easter spans 47 days, the Church does not count Sundays as part of Lent.”

He concluded: “Lent is a fantastic opportunity to break an unhealthy habit, whether you are religious or not. And with this hidden secret that Sundays don’t count, it becomes much more manageable.”