Ash Wednesday

The liturgical calendars of the Christian churches recognize a period of fasting for spiritual preparation before the two most important festivals of the church year, before the birth of the Lord on December 25 and before Easter. In the Latin Church, this begins with a penance rite on the 40th day before the actual celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. During the services, a cross of ashes is drawn on the foreheads of the faithful, following the ritual customs of biblical Israel. The ash used in the ritual usually comes from the palm branches that were used to celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem the previous year (on "Palm Sunday"). In doing so, the person administering the ashes admonishes those receiving them with the phrase: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return!" to align their lives with Christ. He thus reminds us that, according to the biblical creation accounts, humans were created by God taking dust from the ground, shaping it into a human, and breathing life into it.

From a historical-religious perspective, the mention of 40 days draws on various narratives from the scriptures of biblical Israel: 40 days were Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark. For 40 days, Moses spoke with God on Sinai. The prophet Elijah was on his way to the holy mountain Horeb for 40 days, and Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days.

The Lenten season is meant to encourage people to critically examine their own lives. Therefore, this period of reflection often involves abstinence—for example, abstaining from meat and alcohol or consciously choosing a vegan lifestyle. In many Christian families, it is therefore customary to end the Easter fasting period with the consumption of a lamb, in memory of the Jewish Passover meal.