Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Catholic Church celebrates the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Church members receive the cross with ashes on their foreheads from priests during this ritual, which represents a ceremonial start to a period of sobriety until Easter arrives. Plum pie remains permitted in modern times.
Ash Wednesday serves as a religious holiday, marking the initial day of Catholic Lenten observance in Antwerp and surrounding communities. Churchgoers receive forehead crosses with ashes as a symbol that represents both humility and a message to stay sober until Easter. People follow traditional Lenten customs through meat abstinence and alcohol avoidance, yet certain regional practices, such as plum pie eating, continue as part of their observance. This religious phase starts after Carnival and creates spiritual readiness for upcoming Easter celebrations.
The observance of Lent through fasting and reflection exercises stands as a religious commitment for Catholic communities within Antwerp along with neighboring locations. The observance of Lent requires people to abstain from meat and alcohol during weekdays but followers today usually follow two types of discipline: traditional avoidance of these foods or more modern approaches like denying sweets or cutting back monitor usage.
Hugo, a local believer, emphasizes the broader meaning of fasting, stating,
“Fasting is not just about food, but also about volunteer work.”
He volunteers at Sint-Andrieskerk in Antwerp, finding personal fulfilment in practice.
An Antwerp student has vowed to stop eating meat and minimise their fast food intake, which proves religious traditions persist regardless of age differences. Participants Robbe and Hilda from Berchem chose restrictive eating patterns during Lent, and both noted the more rigorous fasting practices of bygone times.
Still, some Catholics like to stick to the original rules. Hugo will not drink alcohol in the coming weeks.
“And a little less sauce with his food,”
He says. He also volunteers at the Sint-Andrieskerk in Antwerp.
“As a believer, that means a lot, you also get a lot out of it for yourself. Fasting is not just about food, but also about volunteer work, for example.”
An Antwerp student is also participating.
“I stick to the basics, so no meat.”
But he also promises to go to McDonald’s less.
“I’m 20, but I don’t think religion has anything to do with age.”
Robbe takes Lent very seriously and even indicates that he will only eat 1 meal a day. Hilda, who comes from Berchem, thinks that she always lives frugally and that is why she only leaves out sweets during Lent.
“But in the past you were hardly allowed to eat anything, only an egg was allowed during Lent.”
What Is the History of Lent in Belgium?
The Catholic Church celebrates Lent through a 40-day period, which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. Lent maintains its importance as a religious practice in Belgium despite the decline in strict observance among its Catholic population, which numbers 44% according to 2022 statistical records.
During historical times, believers followed strict fasting rules, which mandated total abstention from meat and dairy products, along with other nice things. Locals continue to maintain the Ash Wednesday plum pie tradition between Antwerp and Lier because it represents ritually used ashes.
The tradition grew from the work of Felix Timmermans, who made it popular at his home base in Lier. Modern Catholics practice Lent in two ways—through sweets or screen time abstinence—but the religious core principles of reflection, humility and Easter preparation continue to inspire Catholic communities today.
