The Legend of Old Lent

There are calendar figures who don't live in ancient books or on mysterious mountains, but in schools, town squares, and dining rooms. Old Lent is one of them. Thin, wrinkled, with a headscarf and seven clearly visible legs, she appears every year when Carnival ends and the noise gives way to silence.

It is the popular representation of Lent, the seven-week period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. But beyond the liturgical calendar, Catalan tradition has transformed it into a character with its own distinct personality.

The rivalry with King Carnestoltes

In many folk tales, Old Lent shares the spotlight with King Carnival, a symbol of Carnival and excess. He is fat, cheerful, and wild; she is stern, thin, and grumpy. They represent two opposing ways of understanding time: unbridled revelry versus restraint.

Legend has it that King Carnival throws extravagant parties with wine, costumes, and abundant food. For days, the people laugh and dance without restraint. But excess has consequences: the king becomes so bloated that he eventually dies; in many versions, he is symbolically burned on Ash Wednesday in rituals such as the Burial of the Sardine.

With his disappearance comes she.

Seven legs, seven weeks

Old Lent is depicted with a cod or a herring in her hand, a reminder of the times when meat was forbidden during this period, and with an often austere basket. But what is most striking are the seven legs.

Each leg represents a week of Lent. According to tradition, one leg is cut off every Wednesday or Sunday, marking the passage of time towards spring and Easter.

In many Catalan schools, an image of Old Lent is still hung today, and the children cut off one of its legs each week, waiting for the end of the period of abstinence and restraint.

A symbolic story

Some more narrative versions explain that, after the death of King Carnestoltes, the people were left without provisions. Old Lent promised to give them simple food, herrings and bread rolls, if they would give up music and laughter for as many weeks as she had legs.

The villagers, thinking he has two like everyone else, accept it. But they discover he has seven.

When she finally has only one leg left, a luminous figure appears: Spring. Dressed in vibrant colors, she makes the fields bloom in her wake. Old Lent, dazzled, melts like ice in the sun.

Thus, the cycle is completed: excess gives way to contemplation, and contemplation to rebirth.

More than a religious figure

Despite its Christian roots, Lent is the period of preparation before Easter; the Old Lent is also a cultural and educational symbol. It represents the passage of time, the changing of the seasons, and the balance between celebration and discipline.

In the traditional Catalan calendar, the cycle is clear:

• The Carnival culminates with the burning of King Carnestoltes.
• Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.
• Seven weeks later, Easter arrives and, symbolically, Spring.

A tradition that endures

Today, the Old Lent tradition is still alive in schools and popular celebrations. It is no longer a symbol of strict prohibitions, but a playful way to explain the calendar and the seasons to children.

Slim and with seven legs, she remembers that after every excess comes the pause and that after every winter the light always returns.

And so, year after year, when Carnival fades away, Old Lent begins to walk again, with one less leg each week, until spring makes her disappear.