India, Feb. 18 -- Lent marks a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, starting on Ash Wednesday and concluding at sundown on Good Friday. This time prepares Christians to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection during Easter.

It's the most solemn observance in the Christian liturgical calendar, honoring the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, where he faced temptation from Satan, as recounted in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, before his crucifixion on Calvary. In Konkani, spoken by Goans, the season is called "Korezm," derived from the Portuguese "Quaresma," which simply means "40," symbolizing the 40 days of imitating Christ's desert journey. Fewer people today are aware of the t...