Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday services start the path toward Easter
Ash Wednesday, also known as the Day of Ashes, is a day of repentance, when Catholics and Christians confess their sins and profess their devotion to God leading up to Easter.
Services were held throughout the area Wednesday, which was the beginning of Lent.
Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is the day before Ash Wednesday, observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms, finalizing one's Lenten sacrifice, as well as eating pancakes and other sweets.
William Johnston, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton, told USA TODAY Ash Wednesday is one of the most important time periods in Catholicism and Christianity, as it's acknowledged by people who aren't closely tied to their religion.
"It's pretty well recognized that (Ash Wednesday)) is one of the days which, even people who aren't all that regular in church participation, some of them come to church on Wednesday as well," Johnston said. "It just has kind of strong cultural connections folks participate in."
Why do people get ashes on Ash Wednesday?
During Mass on Ash Wednesday, a priest will mark a worshiper's forehead with ashes in the shape of a cross, and will say "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" or "Repent and believe in the Gospel."
The ashes represent a person acknowledging and showing remorse for their sins, as Johnston said the tradition dates back to 1091.
"The ashes is just sort of a ritual symbolic way to say 'I'm beginning this journey of repentance and renewal, for the sake of my greater fidelity,'" he said.
The ashes typically come from the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday, which are burned and blessed before they are used.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, which is "a period of preparation to be able to celebrate" Easter, Johnston said.
The six-week period is meant to be celebrated with self-sacrifice, prayer and other religious activities leading up to Easter, the day believed to be when Jesus Christ rose from the dead to sit at the right hand of God. Johnston calls Lent a "period of purification and enlightenment."
"It is encouraged for (worshipers) to both root out the things that prevent them from making sort of a wholehearted, unreserved commitment to Christ, and cultivate and develop those things in their life that do help them do that," Johnston said.
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, although when it ends is disputed. Some churches say it ends on the night of Holy Thursday (April 6), Good Friday (April 7), Holy Saturday (April 8) or Easter. Typically, Lent is celebrated during the entire 46 day period, with 40 days of fasting and six Sundays, when fasting is not practiced.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Area churches hold Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday services
