Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, mirror, and meditation that is observed by some Christians around the world. It is a solemn warning of human deaths and the necessity of repentance given that it falls 46 weeks before Easter Sunday ( 40 days of fasting, excluding Sundays ).
Pope Francis is still in the medical at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital this year as he is still in the hospital with a respiratory condition, according to Ash Wednesday. He was admitted there on February 14 for a breathing condition. Francis had two “acute breathing insufficiencies,” according to the Vatican, and physicians performed two procedures on him to clear his airways on Monday.
Traditions and impact
- A combination of ashes is placed on the foreheads of some Christians on Ash Wednesday, which represents penance and modesty.
- The phrase “remember that you are dirt, and to dust you shall return” is used to make the ashes, which are usually made from fired palm trees from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
- Some followers restrict their meals and refrain from eating any meat because it is a day of dieting and contraception.
The Lent begins.
Jesus ‘ 40 days of fasting and tribulation in the wilderness are commemorated in Lent, which lasts for 40 days ( excluding Sundays ). Christians practice metaphysical practices like:
- Prayer ( approaching a deeper connection between them and God ),
- Fasting ( returning to certain foods or practices ), and
- Almsgiving ( donations of service and charity ).
Although Ash Wednesday is certainly a public holiday, it is still observable in many Christian communities, especially in Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Methodist customs.
