Shrove Tuesday Today;
Ash Wednesday first day of Lent
Wednesday will be Ash Wednesday -- marking, for Christians, the beginning of Lent.
Many Cowetans will attend services on Wednesday, receiving the mark of the cross on their foreheads. The mark is made with ashes and a reminder to worshippers that they came from dust and will return to dust when life ends.
"Ash Wednesday marks the start of the six-week Holy Season of Lent, a time of penance and reflection in preparation for Easter Sunday, celebrated worldwide by Christians as the resurrection of Jesus Christ," said Marie Mulvenna, a member at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church.
Many Cowetans will attend services on Wednesday, receiving the mark of the cross on their foreheads. The mark is made with ashes and a reminder to worshippers that they came from dust and will return to dust when life ends."Ash Wednesday marks the start of the six-week Holy Season of Lent, a time of penance and reflection in preparation for Easter Sunday, celebrated worldwide by Christians as the resurrection of Jesus Christ," said Marie Mulvenna, a member at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church.
The imposition of ashes is "a tradition dating back to the second century," she said. The ashes are often made by mixing ashes from palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday service with oil.
Easter is observed by churches in the west -- virtually all Protestant and Catholic denominations -- on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox. Easter can occur as early as March 22 and as late as April 25. This year, Easter will be April 4.
Eastern Orthodox churches use a different method of calculating the date for Easter, although this year Orthodox Easter will also be April 4.
Today is Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday -- the last day before Lent, which is traditionally a time of fasting and self-denial. The word "shrove" comes from the English word "shrive," which means to be forgiven of sin.
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