What is Ash Wednesday? Understanding the first day of Lent and the 40-day period of prayer

TOI World Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Mar 5, 2025, 07:57 IST

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Ash Wednesday begins Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and reflection for Christians. Observed with the application of ashes on the forehead, it signifies penance and humility. This day encourages spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, and acts of charity, commemorating Jesus' time in the wilderness.

What is Ash Wednesday? Understanding the first day of Lent and the 40-day period of prayer

Vatican makes new plans for Ash Wednesday (AP Photo)

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and reflection observed by many Christians worldwide. It falls 46 days before Easter Sunday (40 fasting days, excluding Sundays) and serves as a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for repentance.
This year's Ash Wednesday occurs as Pope Francis remains hospitalised at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after he was admitted to the hospital on February 14 for a respiratory illness. On Monday, the Vatican reported that Francis had suffered two attacks of "acute respiratory insufficiency," and doctors performed two procedures on the pope to clear his air passages.

Significance and traditions

On Ash Wednesday, many Christians, particularly Catholics, receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads, symbolizing penance and humility.
The ashes, traditionally made from burned palm branches from the previous year's Palm Sunday, are applied with the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
It is a day of fasting and abstinence, with many believers limiting meals and refraining from eating meat.

The Start of Lent

Lent, which spans 40 days (excluding Sundays), commemorates Jesus’ 40 days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness. During this time, Christians engage in spiritual disciplines such as:

Prayer (deepening their relationship with God),
Fasting (giving up certain foods or habits), and
Almsgiving (acts of charity and service).

Ash Wednesday is not a public holiday, but it is widely observed by Christian communities, particularly in Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Methodist traditions.

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