Lent and Holy Week: Special Days in Lent |
ASH WEDNESDAY |
 |
When is Ash Wednesday? |
|
| Ash Wednesday is six and a half weeks before Easter Day. It is the first day of Lent. | |
Why is it called Ash Wednesday? |
|
| Lent is a time when people are sorry for the wrong things in their lives and ask God for forgiveness and ashes are signs of sadness. |
How is Ash Wednesday celebrated? |
|
 |
Some churches have a special part in a service called 'ashing'. As a way of showing sorrow for wrong things done, and as a reminder that all die, the Priest makes a sign of the cross in ashes on the forehead of each person. The ashes are usually made from burning palm crosses that were kept from Palm Sunday the previous year. Lent is a time when Christians think about the things they have done and the way that God wants them to live. Saying sorry to God by confessing our sins - owning up to the wrong things we have done - is a more important part of people's worship and prayer during Lent. |
| In some of these churches the Priest will wear black, as a sign of sadness. In other churches people may gather for a Bible study or may not do anything special. | |
 |
An Ash Wednesday Service |