What Is Ash Wednesday? Lent Kicks Off for Catholics Around the World

Lent is now here, and the Christian world commemorates the season with Ash Wednesday. The penitential Lenten season begins when Christians get marked with ash on their foreheads in the shape of a cross, a practice widely done by Roman Catholics during Ash Wednesday.

While the symbolic marking with ash signals the start of the Lenten season, the day is about repentance. Christians should attend Ash Wednesday mass, confess their sins during a visit to the confessional, and profess their devotion to God.

However, it is not just about this. It is a season that marks the lead-up not just to Holy Week but what is essentially the most important Christian holiday, and it is not Christmas, but Easter.

While Catholics are the ones most known to observe Ash Wednesday, the practice is also observed in Lutheran worship services and other Protestant denominations, according to the Daily Leader.

What Does Getting Marked With Ashes Mean on Ash Wednesday?

The ashes commonly used for Catholic Ash Wednesdays came from last year's Palm Sunday service. They represent the act of penance, as it was customary for a penitent to dress in uncomfortable sackcloth and sit in ashes.

According to Cincinatti.com, when Christians get marked with ash, the priest would say, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." That means the one receiving the ashes must remember his sins and repent.

When one receives ashes on their forehead, it means that the person is sorry for their sins and will use the season of Lent to correct their faults, purify their hearts, control their desires, and grow in holiness as Easter approaches.

The practice has been around for hundreds of years, though its origins are still unclear. However, its observance was formalized at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.

Ash Wednesday, Lenten Observance, and Easter Celebration in 2023

This year, Ash Wednesday is happening on February 22. According to USA Today, it is always observed six and a half weeks before Easter. That means that Easter Sunday will be happening on April 9.

As part of the observance of the Lenten season, Catholics are asked to abstain from meat except for fish on Ash Wednesday, all Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday.

Some people give up alcohol, chocolate, candy, or other foods they usually enjoy. There are others who give up things such as watching television or looking at social media.

This practice often teaches people "how to say no to ourselves while saying yes to something we may be neglecting." Worshippers are also supposed to fast and must only have one meal during the day. However, children and the elderly are usually exempt from this practice.

Lent represents the period of 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert praying and fasting while tempted by the devil. However, Lent lasts 46 days. The Lenten season ends on Holy Thursday, April 6, when a Mass representing Jesus' last supper is scheduled. Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, which is April 7, and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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