Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten Season for Christians around the world. This year, Ash Wednesday is celebrated on the 17^th February 2010. The day before Ash Wednesday, Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras is celebrated. These celebrations are normally well attended, as it is seen as the last official party before Lent starts. Shrove Tuesday is also normally celebrated by eating pancakes.

In some Christian denominations, Lent is the forty-day-long liturgical (religious rite) season for fasting and praying. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert; when he tolerated temptations by Satan. Lent is represented by the colour purple to symbolize the season of repentance.

During Lent, some Christians abstain from meat on Fridays, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Many people perform acts of penance (atonement), such as giving up sweets, TV and other habits during Lent. It is also an opportunity to reflect and listen to what God is telling you and encourage you to live more peacefully with others and yourself.

History of Ash Wednesday

Originally, the first day of Lent was the day on which public penitents in Rome began their penance. They were sprinkled with ashes, dressed in sackcloth, and required to remain apart from the community until Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter. Easter Sunday is the day Jesus rose from the dead).

As this practice fell into disuse between the 8th and 10th centuries, it was replaced by the general penance of the entire congregation.

From at least as early as the 8th century, this day was known as "dies cinerum" (day of ashes). This reflects the central ritual of this holiday, the placing of ashes on the forehead to symbolize mourning and penitence.

This ritual continues in the Roman Catholic Church today. Anglican, Lutheran and some other Protestant churches also hold a special worship services on Ash Wednesday, but do not usually include the ritual of ashes on the forehead. In Eastern Orthodoxy, Lent begins on a Monday known as "Clean Monday."

The Sign of the cross with Ash

The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are usually derived from burning the blessed palm branches left from the last Palm Sunday celebration. The ashes are blessed, sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense. When the priest traces the ash cross on your forehead, he says: "turn away from your sins and believe in the Good news" or "remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return", thus encouraging you to do good and to live out the teachings of Christ.

In some churches, believers wash the ashes off before leaving the church to symbolize that they have been cleansed of their sins; in other churches, participants leave the ashes on when they leave, thereby "carrying the cross out into the world."

In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only days on which fasting is still universally required.

 Sources:

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (printed publication - sourced at Central library, Cpt)

The Catholic Encyclopedia
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01775b.htm

Encyclopaedia Britannica.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9009803.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent

White Stone Journal
http://www.whitestonejournal.com/lent1.html

Article updated: 17 February 2010