Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent for Western Christians (Ash Wednesday)

On this day, the priest makes a cross made of ashes to those who confess, or sprinkles ashes on the heads of believers as a sign of humility and repentance This action also reminded Christians that their body was only dust of the earth This custom has ancient biblical origins The ashes must be from willow (or palm branches), which have been preserved since Palm Sunday itself Since the 10th century, excommunicated sinners could rejoin the church, and this had to be done before Lent For such people, a ceremony was performed with ashes sprinkled on the head This spectacle was so vivid and symbolic that from then on it was decided to begin Lent with Ash Wednesday And before that, Pentecost in the West began on Sunday During the action with the ashes, the priest said: “Repent and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return” After this, Catholics begin Lent, which lasts 46 days, in contrast to the Orthodox fast of 48 days In former times, people were supposed to wear dark clothes on this day Often men, returning from church after the liturgy, went into a tavern to “wash it off” They believed that if you drink alcohol on Bad Wednesday, it will save you from insect bites in the summer On Ash Wednesday, according to the rules of the Catholic Church, it is forbidden to eat meat, and eating to your fill is allowed only once a day This is where the saying “get up from the table half hungry” comes into play If someone cannot fast for health reasons, the church allows the days of repentance to be spent differently It is also necessary to pray fervently and not forget about mercy, to abstain from bodily pleasures