Ash Wednesday

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Significance<br><br>Ash Wednesday, originally

called dies cinerum (day of ashes) marks the first day

of Lent in the Western Christian religious calendar

year. This year, it falls on February

13.<br><br>History<br><br>The feast is believed to have been introduced by Pope

Gregory I and dates back as early as the 8th century AD.

Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental (as a

sacred offering to God) by the blessing of the Church to

help one develop the spirit of humility and sacrifice.

This custom has evolved from an old ceremony, in which

Christians who had committed grave faults were obliged to do

public penance.<br><br>Method of celebration<br><br>Many

churches observe Ash Wednesday with special mid-week

worship services. The religious custom on Ash Wednesday

is that the priest or pastor at the church marks a

cross on the forehead of the parishioners

(church-goers). The ashes for this are obtained from the burned

palms used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday

celebration. This ritual is blessed with the recitation of a

passage from the Holy Bible, Genesis 3:19: “for dust thou

art, and unto dust shalt thou return”. The ashes also

symbolize repentance and purification. They are a reminder

of man’s mortality and are a sign that one wishes to

undertake penance.<br><br>The mood of Ash Wednesday is

expressed in violet. Violet depicts quiet dignity, royalty

and repentance. Violet was also the traditional color

of a king’s robe in Roman times and thus, celebrates

Jesus Christ as the King of kings. Before Jesus was

sentenced to the cross, He told Pilate, the Roman

procurator that His Kingdom is not of this world. The

soldiers around Jesus then mockingly put a purple/violet

robe on Him to denote His being King of the Jews. They

did not understand the implied meaning that Jesus

Christ is a King in the spiritual and not the worldly

sense.<br><br>Lent is a time for solemn contemplation about one’s

sins and should lead to repentance and the firm

decision to follow the spiritual path. It is a time for

prayer for forgiveness and understanding the symbolism

of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. Hence, weddings and

other such celebrations are generally discouraged in

this season. The saying and singing of ‘Alleluia’, a

term used in rejoicing and praise is often

discontinued until Easter. <br><br>Issue # 109 -

sanatan.org/weekly