Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Coming on the morning after Mardi Gras, it is for many people a sobering reminder of the 40-day period of purification and renewal that comes before Easter. more »
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Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Coming on the morning after Mardi Gras, it is for many people a sobering reminder of the 40-day period of purification and renewal that comes before Easter. more »
King cakes are found mainly in January and February throughout North America and Europe. Recipes are passed around, and many bakeries specialize in making them especially for the season, shipping them all over the United States. These tasty pastries are not just festive and colorful, but are part of long standing traditions that can... more »
Mardi Gras has been celebrated in Paris since the Middle Ages, but wasn't brought to America by the French until 1699. Since then, Americans have put their own spin on "Fat Tuesday," and it has become a week-long celebration the city of New Orleans. Many of us want to bring a taste of Mardi Gras to our homed, but aren't sure how to... more »
Mardi Gras is more than a chance to dust off your old Halloween costume--it's a time to experiment with a new identity. Think sultry, not scary; sequins, not spider webs. more »
Whether you're a displaced Louisianian or just a Mardi Gras aficionado, you probably resent having to go to work on the biggest party day in New Orleans. Here are a few ways to bring the celebration from Bourbon Street to your office. more »
Mardi Gras is a celebration that precedes Ash Wednesday. The festival gives revelers a chance to...
The palms you receive on Passion Sunday, or Palm Sunday, are blessed and need to be preserved rather than thrown away. One way to make use of your... more »
Lent symbolizes the 40 days that Catholics believe Jesus spent in the desert resisting the temptation of the devil. This period of observance... more »
The Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans occur every February in the city's French Quarter. Tourists from all around the United States arrive in... more »
Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, Fashnacht, Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day always falls the day before Ash Wednesday. It is the final day of... more »
Lent lasts for 40 days, starting on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter. These are the days leading up to the death of Jesus Christ and his... more »
In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a moveable feast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as 4 February or as late as 10 March.
Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are gathered after the Palm Crosses from the previous years Palm Sunday are burned. In the liturgical practice of some churches, the ashes are mixed with the Oil of the CatechumensThis ties the beginning of Lent with its original purpose: the final preparation of Catechumens for baptism. (one of the sacred oils used to anoint those about to be baptized), though some churches use ordinary oil. This paste is used by the minister who presides at the service to make the sign of the cross, first upon his or her own forehead and then on those of congregants. The minister recites the words: "Remember (O man) that you are dust, and to dust you shall return", or "Repent, and believe the Gospel."
Ritual
At Masses and services of worship on this day, ashes are imposed on the foreheads of the faithful (or on the tonsure spots, in the case of some clergy). The priest, minister, or in some cases officiating layperson, marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes in the shape of a cross, which the worshipper traditionally retains until it wears off. The act echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ashes over ones head to signify repentance before God (as related in the Bible). The priest or minister says one of the following when applying the ashes:
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The ashes used in the service of worship or Mass are sacramentals, not a sacrament. The ashes are blessed according to various rites proper to each liturgical tradition, sometimes involving the use of Holy Water read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash+Wednesday
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