We know that Ash Wednesday follows Carnaval, celebrations throughout the predominantly Catholic Latin America before Lent. But what does the holy day really mean for Latinos and Catholics?

Ash Wednesday is on Feb. 18 this year and kicks off the first of 40 days of Lent, a roughly six-week period that does not include Sundays, according to Catholic Culture. Every Sunday commemorates the Sunday of Christ's resurrection and is a feast day. Lent is dedicated to prayer, penance, spiritual discipline and fasting in preparation for Easter. It ends on Holy Thursday, the fifth day of Holy Week that leads up to Easter, which marks the Last Supper.

According to canonical gospels, Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert where Satan tempted him. Lent originated as a time of fasting 40 days in preparation for Easter. In addition to fasting, many Christians forgo luxury goods or certain activities and habits for the duration of Lent. Popular sacrifices include smoking, drinking, unhealthy foods and social media.

People visit the church on Ash Wednesday for celebration of the holy day and a reminder of human mortality. Ashes are applied to the foreheads of churchgoers by clergymen -- formally called The Imposition of Ashes -- as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are obtained from palm burning during the previous Palm Sunday, which occurs before Easter. The ashes are usually mixed with Holy Water.

The ashes are applied in the shape of a cross to symbolize mortality, mourning and penance. There aren't rules about how long the ashes should be worn, but many people wear them all day on Ash Wednesday to publicly express their faith and penance.

Most Hispanics in the U.S. belong to the Roman Catholic Church which celebrates Lent, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The Center's 2013 National Survey of Latinos and Religion finds that about 19.6 million Latino adults identify as Catholic.

Ash Wednesday is also celebrated by many Protestant denominations, including Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians.

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