Marilyn Friedman, age 14, of Middletown, Ohio, for her question:

WHERE IS LENT OBSERVED

Lent is a religious season observed in the spring in Christian churches around the world. It is part of the regular church year in the Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches as well as in churches that belong to the Anglican Communion. Many other churches hold religious services, meetings or missions to honor the Lenten season.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 40 days before Easter, excluding Sundays, and ends on Easter Sunday. This year Ash Wednesday was on Feb. 12. The term "Lent" comes from the Old English word "lencten," which means "springtime."

Many Christians observe Lent by fasting, performing penance, giving alms or abstaining from amusements. The season originated in olden times as one of spiritual preparation for Easter in remembrance of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Lent varied in length through the ages. For many years it was considered a 36 day period of fast. By the reign of Charlemagne, about A.D. 800, four days were added, making it 40. This may have been done as a reminder of the 40 days Jesus Christ fasted in the wilderness.