Lent: what are you giving up? – Monday question

February 22nd is Ash Wednesday – and with it begins a 40-day Lent that lasts until shortly before Easter. “Less is more” is the motto: Year following year, many people make a conscious decision to do without something for this relatively manageable period of time and thus relieve the strain on body and mind. Traditionally and according to the original Christian idea, this is often the abstinence from meat, but over the years other customs of abstinence have also been established, and Lent has gained a certain lifestyle trend character.