Lent Fast 2015: Popular Ideas For What To Give Up Include Food, Chocolate, Soda, Twitter, Alcohol And School

With Lent approaching, many observant Christians are deciding what to give up during their 40-day fast. The holy Christian season is meant as a time for reflection and repentance, something that is reflected by the clear emphasis on giving up technology seen during last year’s Lent. Among the most popular sacrifices publicized on social media last year was, ironically, social media, with Twitter ranking high on the list, according to the Washington Post.

One in three observant Christians gave up technology for Lent last year, according to a study by the Barna Group. The least popular form of technology to sacrifice was the Internet, with only 9 percent of fasters choosing to opt out during their six-week fast. Social media and smartphones, on the other hand, were given up by 16 percent and 13 percent of people, respectively. Food restrictions, however, remain the most popular sacrifice during Lent, with 88 percent of respondents surveyed by Barna saying they would give up some form of food.

The 40-day fast preceding the Easter holiday has historically been a time for solemn reflection and sacrifice to mark the deprivation faced by Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion, the BBC reports. In the 21st century, the holiday is most often observed by churches as a time for prayer, with most worshippers opting to give up a vice rather than sacrificing food altogether.

The following is the list of the 11 most popular Lent sacrifices from last year, as compiled by the Washington Post based on Twitter mentions:

1. school (11,330 tweets);
2. chocolate (8,916);
3. Twitter (8,171);
4. swearing (6,733);
5. alcohol (5,820);
6. soda (5,087);
7. social networking (4,087);
8. sweets (3,860);
9. fast food (3,830);
10. homework (2,687); and
11. Lent (2,649).