The forty-day Christian season of preparation before Easter, observed by liturgical Christian traditions (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, some Presbyterian and Reformed) since at least the fourth century. The forty days commemorate Christ's forty days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11) and parallel Moses' forty days on Sinai and Elijah's forty days at Horeb. Lent traditionally begins on Ash Wednesday (a service of penitence marked by the imposition of ashes on the forehead) and ends at Easter, comprising forty weekday-fasting-days (Sundays excluded as little-Easters). Observance has historically included fasting, abstaining from meat, increased prayer, almsgiving, and self-examination — the disciplines that prepare the soul to encounter the cross and resurrection afresh. Protestant traditions vary in their engagement: many Evangelical and Reformed bodies observe Lent in modified form; others reject the practice as unscriptural accretion. The MOOP Dictionary holds the observance as wise pastoral tradition, valuable when it leads to actual repentance and renewed devotion rather than to mere religious performance.