What is Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is a day of great
significance in the Western Christianity, which falls 46 days before the
festive occasion of Easter in this religion. The 46 day period consists of 40
weekdays and 6 Sundays in all. It marks penance, fasting and self reflection,
with the aim to prepare us for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter
Sunday, which stands for our redemption from the sins of a life time. Ash
Wednesday is marked as a day of fasting and is the first day of Lent in
Christianity. The name of Ash Wednesday is derived from the custom of blessing
the ash of palm branches used in the celebration of Palm Sunday of the previous
year and placing these ashes on the head of the people who participate in this
custom. These ashes are applied by a Pastor. The ashes are either used to draw
a cross on the fore head or sprinkled over the head of the person. Ashes are a
symbol of penance and aim to foster a spirit of sacrifice and humanity in men. The
custom is accompanied by speaking phrases like “Remember that you are dust and
to dust you shall return” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel”. Also, people
engage themselves in Holy Mass and Divine Service on this day.
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| Ash Wednesday 2015 |
Ash Wednesday Observance
A typical Ash Wednesday observance is
marked by the Christians going to the altar to have ashes applied on their
forehead by the Pastors, along with speaking the holy quotes mentioned above.
These words signify the words spoken by God to Adam and eve, after they had
committed the greatest sin by eating the forbidden fruit in the Heaven and had
been punished for their sin. The true significance of this divine observance is
to remind us of the sinful nature and mortality of man, and the fact that he
needs to repent for his sins before it is too late for doing so. The drawing of
a cross with the ash stands for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and says that
God forgives all the sins of those who repent for them. Many of the people let
these ashes stay on their foreheads for the whole of the Ash Wednesday, in
order to show that they are sinners and are seeking forgiveness for their sins
by following the path of penance. It shows us the path of humility as we are
just mortals and will become nothing but dust one day.
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| Ash Wednesday images |
History of Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is an observance which
dates back to centuries and holds a special significance in the Christianity
religion, as it marks the 40 days fasting by Jesus Christ in the desert, where
he had to face the temptation by Satan. The custom of Lent was carried on there
from, starting as a fasting of a period of 40 days to prepare for Easter. The
Sundays were included in it as these represent the resurrection of Christ and
feats on a fasting day was not considered appropriate. As a result, Christians
observed fasting from Monday to Saturday for 6 weeks and from Wednesday to
Saturday in the preceding week, which adds up to a total of 40 days.
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| Ash Wednesday wallapaer |
Ash Wednesday Fasting
According to Western Christianity,
Ash Wednesday is observed by fasting and abstinence from meat to mark
repentance. On the occasions of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics aged
18-59 are allowed only one full meal in a day, which can be accompanied by two
smaller meals, which do not make up one full meal when added together. This is
to be done by only those people who are in good health. On the other hand, some
Catholics observe full fast on this day, while others go for bread and water
fast. However, meat is absolutely prohibited on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday,
along with all the Fridays during the period of Lent.
Ash Wednesday Quotes
As mentioned before, the following
are the quotes used on Ash Wednesday:
“Remember that you are dust and to
dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19)
“Repent and believe in the Gospel”
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