LENT

Fasting across religions is practiced for a wide range of reasons that include spiritual purification and self-discipline.

KOCHVILLE TWP, MI — Saginaw County’s Sombreros Mexican Restaurant has a new Lenten special on the menu. “By popular demand we will have mojarra frita till the end of Lent.”Lent began Feb. 22 and ends Thursday, April 6. For more information, find Sombreros Mexican Restaurant on Facebook. Would you like MLive to feature your favorite restaurant in Michigan’s Best Local Eats? Read more from MLive:Sombreros Mexican Restaurant coming to Bay City’s Midland StreetMichigan’s Best Local Eats: Refreshing, sparkling ‘shimmers’ from SipsHow to apply for CMURC’s first all-Black business accelerator in SaginawMichigan’s Best Local Eats: Merna’s Philly cheesesteaks and loaded chili bowlsMichigan’s Best Local Eats: ‘Candy crack grapes’ from Saginaw’s Cob KingKreole Queenz brings back king cakes, marking the start of Mardi Gras season

ANN ARBOR, MI - Lent was always about two things growing up as a young Catholic -- giving up something I liked and not eating meat on Fridays. Yes, the spiritual meaning is deeper than that. It’s 40 days leading up to Easter and honoring Jesus’ sacrifice by making small sacrifices of our own. The “no meat on Fridays” part is about not consuming flesh on the day Jesus was crucified (the reason fish is not considered flesh is a longer explanation that can be found here).

Maryland seafood restaurant Jimmy's Famous Seafood hit back at PETA after the animal rights organization launched a billboard near the restaurant encouraging people to go vegan.

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The second Sunday of Lent is a time to slow down and consider God's blessings, a Washington-based pastor told Fox News Digital; blessings are evidence of God's grace.

Throngs of revelers across Greece have attended end-of-Carnival celebrations for the first time in four years

It might be hard to figure out what Catholics can eat on Fridays during Lent. Here's what it is, and what isn't, allowed.

More area seafood dinners have been set at St. Joseph Catholic, St. John Lutheran, St. Gabriel/St. Joseph churches and Flat Rock Elks.

Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season kept by millions and millions of Christians around the world.

Lent is a season of spiritual reflection and sacrifice in the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, one of the most important holidays on the Christian calendar.

Mardi Gras partygoers in New Orleans shared what they plan to give up for Lent and their ideas for what President Biden could sacrifice during the 40-day observance.

Each year on the day before Ash Wednesday, Christians across the nation (and the world) celebrate what's called Fat Tuesday. But here in the richly diverse Metro Detroit area, we know this day as Paczki Day.

Mardi Gras is a day that marks the end of the Carnival season. Although New Orleans is known for its celebrations, there are festivities for the Christian holiday across the US.

The annual Lenten Friday Fish Fries begin this week across the county.

It's a tradition that dates back hundreds of years, extending far beyond Carnival celebrations and the countdown to Lent, in this city of canals where the only mask mandate is: the more extravagant, the better.

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Lent is around the corner, which means it’s that time again for bakeries in the Muskegon area to start prepping for Fat Tuesday or Paczki Day. Here are five places in the Muskegon area that will be serving up paczkis Tuesday:Hodgepodge BakeshopHodgepodge Bakeshop offers 15 different paczki flavors at their Whitehall and Norton Shores locations. Morat’s BakeryMorat’s Bakery will be open on Feb. 21 from 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. for Fat Tuesday, inviting paczki fans to order the tasty pastry before they sell out. At $2.25, customers can choose from cookies & cream, strawberry cream and peanut butter cup. Ryke’s is located in Muskegon, Grand Haven and Holland, and will be open on Fat Tuesday from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.

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It’s hard to believe that spring is right around the corner and Lent is here.

Whether you crave classic fish and chips, or you love to start your night off with oysters, Hazel’s has your favorites from the sea. Michelle Oliver takes us there to Dine in the D.

This past Tuesday was Mardi Gras, which means this Friday is the first Friday in Lent. During this time of year, many like to forgo the meat and opt for delicious fish and seafood instead.

FLINT, MI -- On the first day of Lent, Catholics start their spiritual preparation for Easter on Ash Wednesday. Marking exactly 40 days before Easter, Catholics fast in solidarity with the story of Jesus Christ’s fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. “The significance of this day is to remember where we came from,” said Matt Myers who attended the Ash Wednesday service on March 2 with his wife Rochelle and his five children at St. Matthew’s Roman Catholic Church off Beach Street in downtown Flint. Ash Wednesday’s mass holds personal and traditional significance to many members of St. Matthew’s parish. Father Anthony Strouse led the Ash Wednesday mass at St. Matthew’s.

Paczki is a traditional Polish filled pastry that's a Fat Tuesday staple, eaten by many who indulge themselves before the start of Lent.

Cost: $15 for all-you-can-eat fried fish, including baked potato, fries, green beans, coleslaw, cornbread and dessert. Cost: Classic fish and chips with beer-battered cod and fries (can substitute for another side) and coleslaw for $14.50. in JacksonTime: Until 9 p.m. FridaysCost: All-you-can-eat cod or perch for $19.99 with a side of potato, soup and salad. Lunch special is a two-piece cod with French fries for $7.99, and a two piece cod with onion rings, cottage fries or waffle fries or tater tots for $8.99. Poppa’s PlaceAddress: 208 S. Main St., BrooklynTime: 3 to 8 p.m. FridaysCost: All-you-can-eat cod with two sides and a roll for $14.99.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Lent is fast approaching. And that means the time has come for bakeries in Grand Rapids across the state to be baking nonstop for Fat Tuesday, or Paczki Day. Those who live outside the Midwest or parts of the country that don’t have a large Polish-American population like Grand Rapids might not get why the hunt will be on to grab the tasty traditional treat, pronounced poonch-key, on Paczki Day or Fat Tuesday. and 1308 Fuller Ave. NE in Grand Rapids. Schnnitzelstein Baking Co.Schnnitzelstein Baking Co. in Grand Rapids is planning to sell about 4,000 paczkis for Fat Tuesday, according to co-owner Ron Merten.

A Russian woman is alleging that an advertisement for a McDonald’s cheeseburger was so tempting she couldn’t help herself and broke her fast during Lent. Up to the point of her diversion, Ovchinnikova claims she had abstained from meat for a month, but the fast-food chain’s commercials for burgers and nuggets caused her to break her fast in April 2019. Ovchinnikova is accusing the fast-food chain of “breaking the consumer protection law and insulting her religious feelings,” the Daily Mail said. She reportedly caved and ordered a burger from the nearest McDonald’s restaurant. According to a report by Oddity Central, the date of the preliminary hearing has not yet been set for Ovchinnikova’s claim, court sources told Zamoskvoretsky press service.

Ksenia Ovchinnikova said she was trying to abstain from eating meat when she spotted a McDonald's burger ad, which made her give in to temptation.

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The sauce is basically just pasta water, so make sure it is salted enough. While the tomatoes are roasting, slice the white part of the fennel into thin slices and make sure to remove the core. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. Add the tomatoes and all of the juices and oil in with the pasta and fennel. Add in reserved pasta water and parmesan.

Here are 3 different recipes that I cook up frequently at home, and while I am using fresh to frozen mahi-mahi, any mild white fish will work for these recipes. I have used fresh lake superior white fish to make this and it was phenomenal. Tear a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to wrap each fish and veggies pack. Place on a baking sheet pan and bake fish until cooked through, depending on the type and the thickness of your fish, around 15 minutes. Lightly sprinkle the spices on the fish to taste, be careful not to overload them, this isn’t like the blackened fish, you should still see the white fish popping through.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she is giving up meat for Lent this year, and she's doing it to honor the late son of one of her colleagues. Rep. Jamie Raskin's son, Tommy, died by suicide late last year. A few weeks ago I told @RepRaskin that this year I wanted to adopt a vegetarian diet for Lent in memory of his son Tommy," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "Many children — children of members of Congress — children were there," Ocasio-Cortez said. Tommy Raskin, a second-year student at Harvard Law School and a graduate of Amherst College, died at the age of 25.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — On Ash Wednesday, people typically encounter Christians with a smudged cross from blessed ashes on their foreheads, but that ritual changed Wednesday at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew to help stem the spread of COVID-19. Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, a season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. “Here, our practice is to have the cross on the forehead,” said Constanza, about the traditional sign of repentance. It’s beautiful because they are returning to the Eucharist and returning to the community of believers. Constanza said Bishop David J. Walkowiak is inviting people the whole season of Lent to return to Mass and encouraging them to invite others.

FLINT – Residents across Genesee County observed Ash Wednesday as Lent begins. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season in which Catholics and many Christians prepare themselves spiritually for Easter. “It’s like a spiritual boot camp for Catholics; 40 days of intense, committed, repentance, good works and prayer,” Krupp said. Beltran, 71, and his wife Margarita, attended the Ash Wednesday service at the Mt. Morris Township church, each receiving an ash cross on their forehead.

MUSKEGON, MI -- Paczki season is here. Here are some places paczki can be found in Muskegon County:Goobers BakeryGoobers Bakery offers 13 different flavors of paczki at their Whitehall and Norton Shores locations. The Norton Shores bakery presents a selection of basic flavors for $1.50 and premium for $1.75. The bakery will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 820 Terrace St. in Muskegon. The bakery is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Muskegon, 1788 Terrace St., Grand Haven, 623 A Way, and Holland, 660 Chicago Drive.

The beginning of Lent will look different during the pandemic as Ash Wednesday ashes will not be applied by hand.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – It’s not officially Fat Tuesday unless powdered sugar is on everything. Here’s where you can pick up some paczki in Ann Arbor:ARGUS FARM STOPThis year Fenton-based baking company Crust is supplying Argus Farm Stop with strawberry, raspberry and lemon paczki. DJ’S BAKERYDJ’s will have eight flavors of paczki available, including apple, blueberry, custard, cream, lemon, prune, raspberry and strawberry. AdWASHTENAW DAIRYPreordering has closed but the historic Ann Arbor business will have some paczki available for pickup on Tuesday. Paczki pickup will happen from Feb.12-16 at both the Ann Arbor North and Ann Arbor West Plum Market locations.

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Fat Tuesday is coming up and several bakeries are preparing to serve a traditional Polish pastry eaten before the first day of Lent. Customers can pour into several bakeries across Washtenaw County to pick up custard-, cream- or jelly-filled pazcki for Fat Tuesday, which is Tuesday, Feb. 16 this year. DJs BakeryStop in for a strawberry, lemon, apple, raspberry, blueberry, prune, custard or cream paczki. Washtenaw DairyWashtenaw Dairy is known for its ice cream and doughnuts but will have apple, blueberry, chocolate, cream, custard, raspberry, prune and lemon paczki for $2 each. (Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News)Argus Farm StopStop in for a raspberry, strawberry or lemon paczki for $2.50 each, or buy 12 get 13th free.

INDIANAPOLIS On Ash Wednesday, you may encounter Christians, especially Catholics, wearing a smudge of ashes on their foreheads. Ash Wednesday officially known as the Day of Ashes is a day of repentance, when Christians confess their sins and profess their devotion to God. Ash Wednesday is important because it marks the start of the Lenten period leading up to Easter, when Christians believe Jesus was resurrected. During this period, Christians show repentance and mourning for their sins, because they believe Christ died for them. Early Christians in Rome were sprinkled with ashes during Lent, but the Ash Wednesday practice of placing ashes on the forehead of Christians didn't begin until the Middle Ages.

During Lent, Catholics are called on to give up something, like sweets. On Wednesday, Pope Francis added a modern twist to the list of things to quit during the season and beyond: insulting people on social media. Lent, he said in partially improvised remarks, "is a time to give up useless words, gossip, rumors, tittle-tattle and speak to God on a first name basis," he said. In recent years, Pope Francis himself has been the butt of insults from ultra-conservative Catholic websites and mostly anonymous anti-pope Twitter feeds. Later on Wednesday, Pope Francis was due to have ashes rubbed on his forehead at a traditional Ash Wednesday service that reminds Christians of mortality and that everyone will someday become dust.