We have mentioned the feast of the Epiphany, which marks the beginning of a new season (after the "Twelve Days of Christmas") and which continues until the start of Lent.

    In some traditions, there is a "10, 9, 8" sort of countdown to Easter, which is the most important day in the Christian year, and is preceded by the season of Lent.

    The first day of the countdown is Septuagesima Sunday, a name meaning "seventy" because it is (very approximately) 70 days before Easter. This day may not happen in a particular year if Easter comes very early. The following Sunday is Sexagesima ("sixty"), and then Quinquagesima ("fifty") and Quadragesima ("forty"). The astute observer will note that, as weeks are seven days long, succeeding Sundays cannot possibly denote 70, 60, 50, and 40. Apparently the ancients were more comfortable with "ballpark figures" than we are!

    As with any preparations, things get a little more hectic as Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, approaches.

    In English tradition, the day before Ash Wednesday is called "Shrove Tuesday." The word "shrove" is related to the word "shrive," which refers to confessing one's sins to a priest and being "shriven" (forgiven or absolved). This is an inward preparation; outwardly, people tried to use up all the rich foods in their houses, so one common celebration is the "Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper," using up the fat and butter in the house. In the southern European countries, this tradition is also practiced.

    In French this day is called "Mardi Gras" or "Fat Tuesday," still a very big festival in New Orleans in the United States, a city founded by the French. In other countries, like Brazil, it is called "Carnival," which comes from a Latin expression meaning "Goodbye, Meat!" (Catholics traditionally fasted from meat during Lent.)

    Similarly, the University of Oxford has the "Festum Ovorum" or "Feast of Eggs" on the Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) before Ash Wednesday.

    This year Ash Wednesday falls on March 1, so Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras will be on Feb. 28. All of these dates move depending on the date of Easter, which we'll discuss another time.

    Vocabulary: Which words above mean: 1. flavorful, and high in calories; 2. approximate numbers; 3. clever at seeing something; 4. going from higher numbers to lower in order; 5. very busy; 6. following; coming after; 7. coming before; 8. chose not to eat something; 9. telling someone what one has done wrong; 10. mean; signify

    ANSWERS: 1. rich; 2. ballpark figures; 3. astute; 4. countdown; 5. hectic; 6. succeeding; 7. preceded; 8. fasted; 9. confessing; 10. denote