Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

Last Wednesday, the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. You must move fast, they belong to a different day every year, as it depends on the date of Easter. It could happen as early as February 4 or later than March 10.

According to the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent forty days fasting in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry, during which he endured temptation Satan.Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this forty-day period liturgical prayer and fasting.

Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes are usually used in combination after the palm of Palm in the previous year were burned on Sunday.

This practice is widespread in large parts of Christianity that is celebrated by Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Anglicans.