Thaindian News

Washington, Feb 17 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Statement by the President on Ash Wednesday : “Michelle and I join Christians here in America and around the world in observing Ash Wednesday.  We mark this solemn day of repentance and promise, knowing that Lent is a time for millions to renew faith and also deepen a commitment to loving and serving one another.”

According to Wikipedia, Ash Wednesday starts the first day of “Lent” for the Western Christian calendar. It occurs every year, 46 days (which, not counting Sundays, is 40 days) before Easter. Mostly a Catholic tradition, the Holiday is so named because of the act of forming a cross in ashes on the foreheads of the worshiper as a sign of repentance. These ashes are usually formed from the ashes of the burned Palm Crosses from the previous Palm Sunday, and a sacred oil used for baptism.

Ash Wednesday, also known as “Day of Ashes” originated sometime during that time that Gregory the Great was pope.(590 to 604). It was custom in the old testament for believers to use ashes for two purposes; during grief periods and as a repentance for sin. Having the cross formed by ashes on the forehead to remind sinners of their mortality and to show they were sorry for their sins was common in the Anglo-Saxon church during the 10th century. The Western Church at the Synond of Benevento made it a Universal custom in 1091.

Although it was first something done in private, this ritual later became a very public display of repentance. It is a symbol of the spiritual mark or seal that is placed on a Christian during baptism, when a new born Christian is saved from sin and becomes a new creature in Christ. When the priest makes the mark on the forehead with the ashes, he will say one of these two statements: “remember man you are dust, and to dust you will return,” or “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” (See Genesis 3:19 and Mark 1:15)

Ash Wednesday is an official day of fasting for the church. In the Catholic Church, fasting for Ash Wednesday as well as for Good Friday is the minimum required fasting for followers. They are not allowed to eat any meat on those days and cannot eat more than one full meal. No snacking is allowed, but tea, juice, and coffee is allowed. Fasting is required for those between 18 and 59 years old, and abstinence is required for anyone over 14. Parents are expected to sit down an explain the meanings of the fast to their kids.