Early Easter leaves many people with mixed feelings

Today should prod many people to take down their Christmas decorations and get ready for another season -- Easter.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, the 40 days that lead to Christ's resurrection, according to Christian churches.

It's one of the earliest on record. Also, it may be challenging to people whose lives it touches. Until last week, many churches still had poinsettias adorning their altars.

"Everything is kind of compressed this year," said Hank Orlik, a deacon at St. Mary's Church of Elgin. "Instead of the lull after Christmas, there will be more activity."

Masses will be celebrated, services will be held and seasonal concerts will be performed whether snow is falling or the crocuses are pushing through the earth.

Like it or not, Lent is here. And there is nothing to blame but the moon and Easter. Lent signifies the days Jesus lived in the desert before his crucifixion and death.

"Liturgical calendars calculate Easter's date as the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21," Orlik said. "March 21 is the start of spring."

For many faiths, including the Catholic and Lutheran churches, Easter is March 23.

That should be no problem if you're a traditional Catholic who doesn't eat meat on Fridays or plan to abstain from eating your favorite food or doing your most enjoyable activity. If you're Irish and like corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, you're in the clear. March 17 falls on a Monday.

But if you're in the business of selling sweets or cooking fish to make a living, then your hands will be full for the rest of the winter.

Diane Ahrens, owner of Piece-A-Cake Bakery in East Dundee, is hoping there are fewer traditional Catholics or Presbyterians in the area. Sweets, such as cookies and cakes, have always been a favorite to abstain from, she said.

"Sometimes I see business go down during Lent. It depends on the year," she said. "People who usually come in once or twice a week will avoid the store."

Ahrens has nothing against Lent. In fact, she enjoys it. But when it starts so close to the end of January, when many people have abandoned their resolutions to eat healthier, the financial loss can be felt.

"Valentine's Day will be interesting. We sell a lot of cookies to bring to school," she said. "I hope there aren't fewer orders this year."

Abstaining during Lent is not recommended anymore in many faiths, said the Rev. Dr. Don Longbottom, interim pastor of the First Congregational Church in West Dundee.

"It's a time of introspection, of looking within. There are some people who still give things up as a sacrifice, as Jesus did while he was in the desert," he said. "But now enriching a person's faith through the introspection and service is recommended."

And if that doesn't make sweet lovers feel better, remember, "Easter without Lent is like a diet of cotton candy," he said. "It's sweet but it's not sustaining."

If sweets are no longer in the diet, no doubt fish will be. For generations, Catholics have followed the rules of their church and abstained from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent. Cheese pizza-makers and fish fry cooks have kept busy for decades.

Roy Robinson didn't want to dash Ahrens' hopes of serving more nontraditional Catholics, but he's always throwing more beer-battered cod in the hot oil during the West Dundee VFW's Friday fish fry during Lent.

"We always have to order more shrimp and scallops for people who don't eat meat on Fridays," he said.

Now, if you've done the math, you'll realize there are more than 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter.

The reason?

"Sundays, don't count," Orlik said.