Lent.('lent).n: the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday observed as a period of penitence and fasting.
Yes folks, it's that time of year again. Time to reflect on our lives, engage in personal sacrifice, and repent for our sins.
When I was a child, the standard greeting among friends as we approached Ash Wednesday was, "So, what did you give up for Lent?" It was supposed to be something you enjoyed (this was about personal sacrifice after all) so it was always something childish and stupid – bubble gum, candy, fudge pops, The Monkees. And because children are selfish by nature and not very receptive to personal sacrifice, we would try to be very specific in our sacrifice: Bazooka bubble gum, red licorice candy, banana fudge pops. So if you were caught red-handed with a bag full of penny candy (I'm aging myself here) you could argue, "Oh no… I just gave up red licorice – the Twizzlers licorice. Red shoe string licorice is allowed!" I wonder how Jesus felt about that?
The Belgians have a different approach to the run-up to Ash Wednesday and Lent. It's a weeklong orgy of excess and revelry called carnivale that involves school closings, parades, costumes, and (at least in this small town) some traditional games. Enter: Crossage.
Crossage.(croh-'sahj)..n: a traditional street game played by teams on Ash Wednesday that involves striking a "chôlette" (wooden ball) with a "rabot" (wooden mallet).
Sounds a bit like the genteel sport of croquet, eh? Well…. not exactly. For starters, the balls are much bigger, the mallets are the size of hockey sticks, and the object of the game is not to tap the chôlette through some sissy little wicket, but rather into a nice big barrel. It's a manly game, played by manly men.
And did I mention the alcohol? Ah yes, the alcohol. You see, the barrels (goals) are placed in front of local taverns. From noon to sunset the teams play up and down the street, swinging their rabots and attempting to get the chôlette into the barrel. The team coming closest to the barrel is treated to drinks by the opposing team. There may be other rules and the game could even involve some strategy, but I doubt it. I'm pretty sure the purpose of the event is to drink. Heavily. The wooden balls and inherent danger involved in arming inebriated men with large wooden mallets, are just a happy by-product. All in all it looks like great fun.
So there you have it. Crossage. Because Jesus died for our sins and nothing says spiritual reflection and repentance quite like a large group of drunken men with wooden balls.
