Are you ready to give up caffeine for 40 giorni? What about your social media accounts? While giving up those things may seem hard for you, Christians long ago used to give up a whole lot more.
Ash Wednesday is today. It marks the first day of Lent in Western churches. Il ashes symbolize penance and the dust from which God made people.
When priests mark Christian’s forehead with the ashes they often say, “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” o “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Cardinal Donald Wuerl places ashes on the foreheads of Catholics during Ash Wednesday Mass.
Lent, which lasts 40 days not including Sundays, è a season of prayer, penance and fasting in preparation for the Easter season.
But the tradition has changed throughout the years. It’s less strict than it used to be.
How fasting has changed
Christians started to fast during Lent in the 5th-9th century. They made it a tradition to remember and reflect on Jesus Christ’s fasting in the wilderness.
Allora, they stuck to a strict tradition. People were forbidden to eat meat and fish and had to eat one meal a day.
Many Christians still fast today, but it’s a lot different.
Many Christians give up activities that they enjoy for Lent.
Anziché, they give up watching TV, their social media accounts, drinking soda, alcohol or other pleasurable activities until the fasting ends on Holy Saturday.
How the ashes are made
They hand out palm leaves to people who attend church and some palms are saved and burnt into ashes so it can be used for next year’s Ash Wednesday.
Catholic priests hold palm branches at the Palm Sunday Easter procession.
In the Eastern Church, Lent begins on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter (febbraio 24 quest'anno) and ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday.
