I can't believe I didn't think to ask this question here before - the whole 40 day thing...

[Dottydot]

So, I know there's the 40 days Jesus was in the wilderness, but I seem to remember Moses leading people to the promised land and that taking 40 days.

My question's around pancake day/lent () - why do people use all the flour? I thought it was connected to the Moses story -that they used everything up before leaving, but dp (and she did do a classic and theology degree at Cambridge) thinks it's connected to the Jesus thing.

But I'm still not sure! Any answers?

DH says its to use up eggs before lent: can't be flashy knickers and be using eggs in lent?

Yes but why did they have to use up eggs? I'm sure it's connected to either the Moses or the Jesus thing...

I think people used to give up eggs for Lent so pancakes were to use them up so they wouldn't go rancid over the 40 days.

dh will be back from work in about half an hour, hang on and i can get the answer for you!!

it isn't egss and flour in particular, just using up all the nice stuff before lenten fasting.
in the old days eggs and flour was the nice stuff

YES BUT WHY???!!!! Is it because of the Moses 40 day going through the desert/parting of the red sea thingy, or because of Jesus in the wilderness thingy??

Moses took 40 years in the wilderness to reach the Promised Land with the Israelites... is that what you were thinking of?

The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, not the moses thing.

Because of Jesus in the wilderness. Eggs, meat, fat were fast-forbidden in Lent

yes, Jesus in the desert/wilderness etc

Oh. 40 years?? oops. Ah well - good job we don't have to give up stuff for 40 years I suppose...

So there wasn't anything about Moses and co having to use up stuff in their houses before setting off?

And to think I went to Sunday school and everything...

Didn't Moses fast for 40 days before receiving the 10 commandments? Has that got anything to do with it?

Moses = unleavened bread (no time to let it rise)/Passover... nothing to do with fasting

From the BBC:

"40 is a significant number in Jewish-Christian scripture: In Genesis, the flood which destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain. The Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the land promised to them by God. Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the ten commandments on Mount Sinai. Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry. Most Christians regard Jesus' time in the wilderness as the key event for the duration of Lent."

So 40 seems to have been the standard length of time which it took to cleanse people/the world, but it still doesn't explain why 40!

at Lent time I mean..... yes, Moses didn't eat for 40 days whilst doin his stuff with God and getting the commandments

significance of 40 days in the Bible

Hmmmm.... well, I read through it but I'm not convinced .

So what traditionally did people do with all the eggs laid by hens during lent? Were they just thrown away? Or were cockerels allowed a special lenten dispensation to inseminate all the hens so as to make chicks not eggs?

I wonder if the prohibition on eggs and meat during early spring actually pre-dates the Christian festival and was originally about replenishing stocks for the year.

Any chicken keepers or historians around who know whether this is likely?

All eggs laid by hens that are with a cockerel will turn into chicks if the hen sits on 'em for 20 days or so. And it coincides with nice spring weather - which is a good time to hatch your next flock. So all very convenient.

Perhaps any excess eggs were decorated or fed to children/aged/ill people?

from when Jesus was resurrected till he went up to heaven was forty days during which he appeared in various forms to prove his resurrection to his disciples (remember doubting Thomas in the locked room?). He then went up in the clouds never to be seen by human eyes again and presented his sacrifice to God in heaven

The fiftieth day was at Penticost when the tongues of fire appeared on his followers heads to show they were approved of by him

Lent etc is not in the Bible per se so afraid i cant help as to the eggs/flour being used up.

Maybe that's partly why we associate chicks with Easter? (Apart from the whole hijacking-the-pagan-spring-fertility-celebrations thing ) Because the eggs were left with the hens to incubate during Lent so you got chicks?

Not to go into the whole Easter Bunny vs Eostre hare issue....