Easter

Easter is an important celebration for Christians, because it is a time to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Nearly three months of the Christian year are devoted to celebrating the events that surround the end of Jesus' life on earth: his death by crucifixion and his rising life again and ascending to heaven. The period begins on Shrove Tuesday and continues through Holy Week and Easter to Ascension Day.

Lent

Lent is a time of preparation, both mental and physical, for the events of Good Friday and Easter Day.  It also recalls the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert, without food or water, as a preparation for his public teaching and healing activities.  On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, church services are held in which Christians receive a mark of ashes smeared on their forehead in the shape of a cross, as a sign of repentance.

Breuilly, Elizabeth, O'Brien, Joanne & Palmer, Martin 2002, Festivals of the world: the illustrated guide to celebrations, customs, events & holidays, Checkmark Books, New York, pp. 52 & 54.