Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a 40-day period of fasting

Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on March 5, marks the beginning of a 40-day period of fasting for Christians. During it, believers spiritually prepare for the greatest holiday of the Christian church year, Easter. Lent begins for both the Roman Catholic and Evangelical churches.

In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is associated with strict fasting and abstinence from meat. According to folk traditions, consuming meatless meals on this day was supposed to provide benefits in the economy. It used to be customary to eat pasta or pierogi.

The main purpose of Ash Wednesday is to remind people of the importance of repentance, deepening faith in God, and love for one's neighbor. Part of the liturgy in Catholic churches on this day is the consecration of ashes. Subsequently, priests and deacons make the sign of the cross with ashes on the foreheads of the faithful with the words: "Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return" or: "Repent and believe in the Gospel". The ashes are supposed to remind a person of his origin from the earth and the fact that he will return to the earth. The ashes are also a symbol of purification and the future resurrection.

The ceremony of sprinkling ashes on one's head on the first day of Lent has been practiced in the church since the eighth century. Originally, it was a ceremony reserved only for great and public sinners, who began their journey of repentance on that day. They entered the temple barefoot, dressed in sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads. Later, not only public penitents, but also other believers began their penance in a similar way, with the sprinkling of ashes on one's head becoming a general symbol of the decision to embark on the path of repentance.

In 1091, the Council of Benevento introduced this ceremony for the entire church, with the sprinkling of ashes on one's head being replaced by the sign of the cross with ashes on the forehead. The Lent period in the Roman Catholic Church lasts from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection, which this year fell on April 20. Great Lent also begins on Wednesday for the Evangelical Church. In the Greek Catholic Church, Great Lent (Holy Forty-Day Lent) began on Monday (March 3).

Source: TASR