During Holy Week, Catholics are not allowed to eat red meat, such as beef. The custom is based on a regulation of the Catholic Church that has its origin in the practice of fasting as a sign of purification.
The prohibition on eating meat, however, began to be relaxed in 1966 after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis suggested other types of fasting such as "turning off the television, disconnecting from cell phones, and renouncing useless criticism" for Holy Week.