Cutting Lent

photo taken in 2009; haiku written 2010

Lent is a period of abstinence spaning forty week days, starting the day after Carnival Tuesday. The start of the season is called Ash Wednesday, many christian devotees, particularly of the Catholic persuasion, on this day receive ashes drawn on the forehead as a sign of willingness to observe this penitence.
Children being the creative creatures that they are, find their own way of including themselves into the season; as a child at primary school (i attended the Chaguanas Government Primary School ) we did what was called 'cutting lent' this involved making a bet to stop doing some specefic thing, and included the vigilance of friends; when the decision to abstain from a particular act was declared, participants offered their pinkies (littlest finger) which was locked with someone also involved in the bet; then the fingers were pulled apart; this meant the bet was cut.
After that act, during the period of Lent if anyone was caught doing was offered up in the abtinence bet, eg eating icecream, or sweets; whatever was given up; then that person was in for a good slap with the reminder in one word LENT.
I'm sure there must have been other ways of cutting lent in other schools or in other areas, but thats how we did it at 'my school'


cutting lent
we crossed fingers
school days
--gillena cox