Then & Now: Lenten traditions that live on in Limerick

LENT IS the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Up to the 1960s, on Ash Wednesday at least one person from every household went to the church to receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads. The person who went to church brought home a small envelope of ashes for the rest of the family.

When I was attending primary school, we would visit the nearby church to receive the ashes, which remained on all day until we washed them off before going to bed. This custom has been in decline since with the drop off in church attendances.

During Lent all adults were bound to fast and abstain from meat or any animal products, unless they were very young sick or very old. The fasting consisted of eating one full meal and two small meals, "collations" as they were called. At one time fasting meant abstinence from meats, eggs butter and milk. As well as that, people were expected to abstain from meat every Friday throughout the year. The restrictions eased in the 1950s so people could eat meat at the main meal or the ''collations.''
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday were the days of the "Black Fast", when people ate practically nothing and drank only water. For the average farming family in the 1950s the Lenten fast meant a small meal of bread or porridge in the morning, a midday dinner of potatoes with some meat and vegetables, with another small meal in the evening. Around the coast and in the islands fish, shellfish and edible seaweeds were consumed. When I was school going we always had fish on a Friday. A meal of herrings or haddock with potatoes and onion sauce was delicious.

There was no merrymaking during Lent, no music, dancing or card playing, and the musical instruments were stored away. Drama groups put on plays in the local halls to fill the void. In the early 1900s most men smoked a pipe and some women took snuff. As the century progressed, fags (cigarettes) partly replaced the pipe and snuff for both men and women. Many people gave up smoking, and some men gave up alcoholic drink despite the saying: " Good luck and long life to the Council of Trent, it took away meat but it left us drink".

The time from Christmas to Shrove Tuesday was the time of year when most couples got married. For couples who were inclined to delay about taking the plunge there was a strong likelihood that they would find their names on the Skellig List. This list came about because there was a difference of opinion between the Church in Ireland and the Mother Church regarding the date for Easter Sunday. In Europe it was fixed for the first Sunday after the first full moon, and in Ireland it was dated up to two weeks later. In time the Irish Church fell into line with Rome.

The community of monks on Skellig Rock Kerry however stayed with the original later date. The list was in fact a long poem pieced together by a few local artists. In the poem certain couples were named, and matched and usually had some personal remarks thrown in for good measure. The list was highly embarrassing for the people named but great fun for the composers who incidentally remained anonymous in the interest of their own safety. The suggestion was of course that these couples should travel to Skellig where they had another fortnight’s respite.

The first Sunday in Lent was called "Chalk Sunday" when those who remained unmarried at Shrove had their clothes decorated with stripes and squiggles of chalk. In rural Ireland at the time the unmarried person never had the same status as those who were married. An unmarried man of fifty was still a boy while his married nephew was a man. The young wife of twenty had the full status of a matron, while the spinster of forty five was practically a nobody. The position of the unmarried was emphasized at Shrovetide and became rural comedy for the wits and tricksters.

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In several parts of Ireland there were customarily accepted ways of showing this popular condemnation of the unmarried state. A visitor to almost any village or small town in Munster in the latter part of the nineteenth century might be surprised at seeing people being marked with chalk when on their way to or from the Church. Small boys rushed from doorways and made their mark; young men and girls whipped out concealed bits of white or coloured chalk and did the same.

For the most part the victims took the chalking cheerfully if somewhat sheepishly. The younger men and women could afford to laugh it off with some remark about their chances in the following year, but a hardened old bachelor might round on his tormentors with vocal abuse and flourishing a stick. And, naturally, the more disagreeable individuals were singled out for special attention, so that by the time they escaped from the village the backs of their coats were plentifully ornamented. In the 1920s and 1930s the custom was dwindling in most areas, with the children only chalking each other in fun.

Collectivism means we are all in the same boat together as human beings. We are all trying to live for as long as we can and with as much happiness and well being as we can. By concentrating too much on individual difference we can open the gates for exclusion. We cannot label and marginalise people we perceive to be different. The road to well being can be found in the following ways: Stay connected with others, and take time at every opportunity to have a few words be they friend or foe. Never stop learning and keep adding to our store of knowledge, as this is a constant prescription for health. Take notice of things and don't let it be the negative part in people or situations. Enjoy the nature that is all round us, and the satisfaction got from our pets, and home comforts. Be active and get out and enjoy what our countryside has to offer. If you are not able to get out open the door and let the air and sounds in.

Lent can be a time for soul searching and giving up things that we like for the seven weeks. There are many forms of giving all inter-connected that make for very good ways to relate to others and to one's self. We can give way, give ground, give credit, and give praise. We can give away some of our deeply held convictions, and generously allow for the feelings, viewpoints, and dispositions of others. By giving ground we can make space, and move over a bit for someone else. We can give people credit and praise if they are deserving of it, and don't hold back and deny them with faint praise. The best gift of all to give is of our time and talents, to the many clubs and organisations seeking volunteers.