Mantegna's Altarpiece Allows For Lenten Reflection

The season of Lent is the 40-day period of fasting and prayer before Easter that is observed in some Western Christian religions. Forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the desert where he was tempted by Satan, according to the Bible. In Western Christianity, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which was Feb. 25 this year, the seventh Wednesday before Easter. In many countries, the last day before Lent, called Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday or Carnival, is a last chance to celebrate before the prayer and fasting of Lent. Carnival is the Latin word for “farewell to meat.”