Everyone knows the typical four seasons in the year, but one may have started without people realizing it. This season is the Lenten season, which was created through the Catholic liturgical calendar. The reason this season may have started without people realizing it is because of all the events that are included in it.

The day most people recognize is Easter. The Catholic religion believes that Jesus rose from the dead. Easter is recognized as a holiday.

“Lent is really preparing ourselves to celebrate that pascal mystery of Jesus’s final days that brought us new life through his death and resurrection,” Fr. John Doctor, OFM, said.

While Easter may be the biggest day of the Lenten season, there are actually six main days in Lent that may go unnoticed by people. The first day happened on February 14 with Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday kicks off the 40 days in Lent and is special to Catholics because of the ashes they get marked with. Besides the ashes the mass is done in a regular fashion. The ashes are the burned palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. The other reason is because of what they represent.

Catholic’s believe the ashes represent death and repentance showing that people were born from ashes and when it is their time to go, they will return to ashes. Which is why the priest says ‘remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’

The next day is Palm Sunday which takes place on March 24. The day is significant because it is the Sunday which Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the people laid palms down on the ground.

After that the days speed up and happen a little faster. The next day after Palm Sunday is Holy Thursday which will happen on March 28. This was the day that Jesus sat down with his apostles and had the Last Supper, where Judas would end up betraying Jesus.

Then it turns right around and heads into Good Friday which is the day that Jesus died on the cross, making it a solemn day for Catholics. After that it leads into Holy Saturday. This day is more for reflections and focusing on oneself since during this day Jesus was still in the tomb.

Then it leads to Easter which in 2024 falls on Sunday, March 31. While this season may have suffering in it, it is also seen as a time for celebration as most Catholics see this as the most important time of the year.

“For me it’s about sacrifice and about learning and trusting the process and about looking forward to something,” Aideen Floretta, graduate assistant for admissions, said.

Another big thing about the season of Lent is the tradition of giving something in your life up for the 40 days. This can be physical, spiritual, or mental it is just whatever you feel you need to give up to make you a better person.