Lenten Ping!
Say, if this is Lent, then is the rest of the year borrowed?
Did they have Mardi Gras and nobody reported on it?
For us, Great Lent doesn’t start until March 14th this year. That’s also when the Great Fast starts. “Technically” that means no meat or meat products (eggs, dairy), no fish with a backbone, no wine, no oil until Pascha (May 1st this year). Very few lay people actually follow that fast, but most of us abstain from meat for the duration. The first week is the hardest but after that it’s not so bad. In point of fact, you’ll feel better and the very end of Great Lent is the time to have your cholesterol checked.
I goes without saying that regular participation in the weekday devotions during Lent is the “way to go”.