Are chicken and fish considered meat? What does the word Lent mean? Find the answers to these and other frequently asked questions here.

Q U I C K L i n k s

	Are chicken and fish considered meat?
	What feasts are celebrated during Lent?
	What determines the date Easter Sunday falls on or when Lent begins?
	What does the word Lent mean?

Q: Are chicken and fish considered meat?

A: Chicken yes, fish no. The Catholic Church's abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cattle or pigs-all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat. Fish are a different category of animal.

Q: What feasts are celebrated during Lent?

A: Though Lenten liturgies take precedence on most weekdays, the Church celebrates the feasts of St. Patrick on Mar. 17 and St. Joseph on Mar. 19.

Q: What determines the date Easter Sunday falls on or when Lent begins?

A: The Council of Nicaea, in 325 A.D., determined that Easter should be
celebrated the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. To determine the beginning of Lent, count back six Sundays before Easter. The Wednesday before the first of these Sundays is Ash Wednesday.

Q: What does the word Lent mean?

A: It is from the Anglo-Saxon word lengten, which means spring. [From Modern Catholic Dictionary by John Hardon, S.J.]

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