Ash Wednesday, observed across Roman Catholic and many Protestant traditions, marks the start of Lent—an annual season for fasting, reflection and repentance—this year on Feb. 17. In churches and other worship settings, services often focus on self-denial and turning away from sin, with congregants receiving ashes as a visible sign of the penitential season, AP reported.
In many liturgies, worshippers are marked with ashes commonly shaped in a cross on the forehead. Officiants typically accompany the ritual with words that connect human mortality to spiritual focus, including “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” according to the AP account.
The day is also a fast day in Roman Catholic practice. AP reported that Ash Wednesday is an obligatory fast day for Catholics between ages 18 and 59, which generally means limiting eating to one full meal and two smaller-than-normal meals.
Other Christian traditions keep similar penitential observances with differences in emphasis and calendar practice. AP said that many Protestants—particularly in Episcopal, Lutheran and other historic churches—mark Ash Wednesday with similar liturgies, while many evangelicals and other groups vary in whether they observe the day and Lent. In some cases, communities fast at other points in the year; AP noted that some Pentecostals fast for a period in January to consecrate the year ahead.
In the United States, some churches have also extended the distribution of ashes beyond traditional services. AP reported that in recent years, many Episcopal and other churches have offered “Ashes to Go” in parking lots, commuter-rail stations and other locations, with clergy imposing ashes on busy workers and others who want to participate but may not be able to get to a sanctuary. AP also said chaplains of various denominations sometimes offer ashes at airport chapels and other sites.
Lent itself is linked to the Easter season. AP reported that Lent runs toward the observances of Jesus’ death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter, and that Ash Wednesday is designated by counting backward 40 days from Easter, minus the Sundays. The AP reporting also said that churches use different methods for calculating the traditional 40 days, while the number 40 remains symbolically important in biblical tradition.
During Lent, faithful devotees typically focus on prayer and devotions as well as charitable deeds and forms of self-discipline. AP said some people describe giving up something for Lent—often associated with chocolate in popular culture—though the practice can extend to other habits they find difficult to do without. The AP account also described how some Catholics add group meditations on the Stations of the Cross and observe abstinence from meat on Fridays, while still allowing fish.
For many parishes in the U.S., AP said, the Friday fish fry has become a tradition that combines food, fundraising and community bonding. Meanwhile, AP reported that Lent is a “movable” observance because Ash Wednesday’s date depends on Easter, which falls April 5 this year for most Christians, following an ancient formula tied to spring’s first full moon.
Eastern Orthodox Christians calculate their observances differently. AP reported that Orthodox churches begin their “Great Lent” on a Monday—this year on Feb. 23—calling it “Clean Monday” or “Pure Monday,” and that they do not use ashes, though they begin a period of penance and fasting. AP added that Great Lent continues through the Friday before Holy Week and includes Sundays, with Orthodox Easter (Pascha) falling later than Catholic and Protestant observances—April 12 this year.