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Why Is It Called 'Ash' Wednesday?
Lent fasting starts today as it is Ash Wednesday so it the perfect time ask a slightly silly question. What is meaning of “ash' in Ash Wednesday? It is a Catholic ritual and you may have been following it since you were only a toddler but with the onslaught of modernity, the meanings of our rituals are being diluted. It is not at all abnormal for a person to have practiced a ritual all his life and yet not know what it stands for. However, it is never too late; you can still catch up.
What
'Ash'
Wednesday
Means?
Leave
out
the
'ash',
why
is
it
always
Wednesday?
As
you
obviously
know
that
the
period
of
lent
fasting
is
the
time
that
Jesus
spent
in
the
forest
before
his
prophecies.
Christ
actually
went
on
a
fast
for
these
40
days
and
we
follow
suit.
Now
at
the
end
of
lent
is
Easter
and
that
comes
on
a
Good
Friday
exactly
6
and
a
half
weeks
away.
This
calculation
is
done
in
such
a
way
that
six
and
a
half
weeks
before
a
Friday
will
naturally
be
a
Wednesday.
Now coming back to the 'Ash' Wednesday, it is a standard catholic ritual to draw crosses with ash on the forehead of the faithful to show that they repent their misdeeds in the past year. That is where the name comes from.
Significance
Of
'Ash'
On
Ash
Wednesday:
What
is
ash;
the
remnant
of
our
bodies
or
any
physical
thing
that
is
burned.
Ashes
to
ashes
is
way
of
saying
whatever
you
may
do
on
this
earth
will
turn
to
ashes.
So
basically
you
can
say
it
is
what
we
leave
behind
when
we
die
and
that
is
not
a
very
pleasant
thing.
For
Catholics
it
is
a
way
of
showing
their
repentance
and
also
a
signifier
that
they
know
what
awaits
them
when
they
turn
to
ashes.
What
Is
Done
On
Ash
Wednesday?
Typically,
this
day
would
include
a
service
where
all
the
faithful
go
to
Church
and
dwell
on
the
significance
of
this
Catholic
ritual.
Then
the
priest
would
burn
palm
crosses
from
Palm
Sunday
(that
celebrates
the
victorious
return
of
Christ
to
Jerusalem).
These
palms
are
burned
and
the
ash
from
it
is
blessed.
It
is
turned
into
a
paste
like
consistency
and
a
cross
is
drawn
on
the
foreheads
of
all
the
devotees
to
mark
the
beginning
of
the
period
of
mourning
for
Christ
and
practicing
abstinence
to
repent.
As Lent fasting begins from today you will ideally be having no meat on this day. Some people also try and give up their favourite foods like baked confectioneries or chocolates etc. for the next 40 days.
The palm crosses from Palm Sunday are burned on this solemn occasion not to make it more grave than it already is. Palm Sunday is a happy occasion so burning it's memories on Ash Wednesday is a reminder that the Ash of sorrow comes from the memories of happiness. It is a never ending cycle that will continue forever.
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