Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a time for reflection on sin and Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. It is also a day of fasting and attending mass or religious services. Palm Sunday precedes Easter, with palms given as gifts and returned to be burned before next year’s Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday, burnt palm ashes are marked on foreheads in the sign of the cross, symbolizing human creation from dust and return to ashes after death. Lent involves giving up things for Christ’s life of simplicity, repenting sins, and vowing to be more Christlike. The date of Ash Wednesday varies each year but is typically between early February and early March.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent as observed by many Christians. Lent is the forty days before Easter, and is a time to reflect on one’s sins, and on Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. For many Christians, especially those in Protestant and Catholic families, Ash Wednesday is also a day of fasting and a day of attending mass or a religious service.
The Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday. In many churches palm trees are given as gifts, which Christians can keep during the year. A few weeks before next year’s Ash Wednesday, churches may ask people to return their palms to the church. They are usually burned, with a drizzle of oil.
On Ash Wednesday, people at church services have their foreheads marked in the sign of the cross with the ashes of burnt palms, by a priest, deacon, or layperson such as a minister of the Eucharist. The mark is worn for the rest of the day and should not be removed until after dark.
Ash Wednesday is also a typical day for fasting in many Christian sects. This is more common in Catholicism. People may abstain from any food before attending the Ash Wednesday service and generally abstain from meat for the rest of the day. However, not all Catholics observe these guidelines.
The day before Ash Wednesday is often called Shrove Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday and is a traditional day for celebrations and banquets. People can indulge in all their favorite things, and especially anything they intend to give up for the observance of Lent. With the onset of Ash Wednesday, one begins the journey of giving up things for Lent, like drinking or eating chocolate, that symbolize sharing Christ’s life of simplicity. One also repents for the sins committed during the year and vows to do better and be more Christlike in life.
Ash Wednesday also symbolizes the Christian belief that humans were created from dust and will return to dust and ashes when they die. This belief, however, is counterbalanced by the belief that Christ’s death allowed people to be more than just dust; it permitted eternal life in heaven, outside the body. It can be a stark reminder of what will happen if Christ’s prescriptions are not followed, or simply a symbol that because of Christ, one’s spirit does not die with one’s body.
There is no biblical description of Ash Wednesday in either the Catholic or Protestant Bibles. However, there are numerous descriptions of people using ashes to mourn or to express penance. References to ash and penance can be found in the books of Samuel, Job, Esther, Matthew, and Daniel.
Ash Wednesday falls on different days each year, just like Easter. Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon which occurs after the vernal equinox. This is a bit confusing, as the way it is calculated is based on a lunar calendar, not the Gregorian or Julian calendar. However, once Easter has been calculated, it takes 46 days to reach Ash Wednesday. Typically this date is no earlier than the beginning of February and no later than the beginning of March.
It should be noted that the Eastern Orthodox Churches use the Julian calendar, and therefore arrive on a different date for both Ash Wednesday and Easter. However, the Eastern Orthodox Church practices Lent in much the same way as the Roman Catholic Church.
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