From Wikipedia: Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar, directly following Shrove Tuesday.[2] Occurring 46 days before Easter, it is a moveable fast that can fall as early as February 4 and as late as March 10. Among Roman Catholics, it is the most significantly attended day on the Christian liturgical calendar by a worldwide count, even outnumbering attendance on Easter Sunday or Christmas day. According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan.[3][4] Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting or abstinence. Of the 46 days until Easter, six are Sundays. As the Christian sabbath, Sundays are not included in the fasting period and are instead feast days during Lent. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a celebration and reminder of human mortality, and as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered from the burning of the palms from the previous years Palm Sunday.[5] The imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday has been historically observed by Anglican, Catholic, and Lutheran Christians.[6][7][8] It has also become a standard practice in the Methodist Church.[9][10] In addition to these liturgical denominations,[11] some Anabaptist and Reformed churches, which abandoned the practice after the Reformation, now also observe this day,[6][12] which has become popular in much of Christianity in general.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 11:30:00 +0000
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