Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

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C Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. The word “Lent” is derived from the' Anglo-Saxon “Lencten”, meaning spring. It was appointed at this time for the reason that Christ’s Passion and Death occured in the spring. It lasts for forty days, not including the Sundays, because forty was a scriptural number. The Children of Israel wandered for forty years in the wilderness. Moses fasted forty days on the mount. The Ninevites fasted forty days in repentance for their sins, and Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness ? previously to beginning his ministry. Lerit is considered in the ^ church as a time of preparation for the great festival of Easter.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the ceremonial use of ashes in the services for this day in the early church. The palms which were used on Palm Sunday were burned, and the ashes, after sprinkling with holy water, were used by the priest to mark a cross on the forehead of each one of the worshippers, or else the priest came down the aisle and scattered the ashes over the heads of the congregation. The idea is derived from the scriptural use of the phrase “sackcloth and ashes” as a sign of penitence.

The Tuesday before Lent is known as “Shrove Tuesday”. The word is derived from "shrive”, which in early days meant to draw up a law or to prescribe, since all Christians were ordered to confess -their sins and be absolved. Previous to this they felt they should “take their last fling” so it became a day of merriment, which is continued in the Mardi Gras. Then their last meal consisted of pancakes, due to the necessity of using oip all the eggs, grease, lard and drippings which were forbidden during Lent. So it is also known as “Pancake Tuesday”. • *

The services for Ash Wednesday, February 27, will be at Trinity Episcopal church at 11 a.m. ■ v * •* -- • _ .. ■ > , , , , ,