Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is a significant day in the Christian calendar, marking the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and repentance leading up to Easter Sunday. It falls 46 days before Easter (40 fasting days, excluding Sundays) and can occur between February 4 and March 10, depending on the date of Easter. Ash Wednesday is a day of reflection and repentance for sins. The ashes, made from burned palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, are placed on the foreheads of believers in the shape of a cross. The phrase “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” is often recited, emphasizing human mortality and the need for spiritual renewal.
