Ash Wednesday,
In Christian churches, the first
day of the penitential season of Lent, so called from the ceremony of placing
ashes on the forehead as a sign of penitence. This custom, probably introduced
by Pope Gregory I, has been universal since the Synod of Benevento (1091).
In the Roman Catholic church, ashes obtained from burned palm branches
of the previous Palm Sunday are blessed before mass on Ash Wednesday. The
priest places the blessed ashes on the foreheads of the officiating priests,
the clergy, and the congregation, while reciting over each one the following
formula:
Remember that you are
dust, and unto dust you shall return.”
How we determine when ASH WEDNESDAY BEGINS.
Easter is based upon the moon of the calendar
to secure the same date for all the countries.
According to this rule, Easter Sunday is the
first Sunday which occurs after the first full moon
(or more accurately after the first fourteenth
day of the moon) following the 21st of March. As a result,
the earliest possible date of Easter is 22
March, the latest 25 April.
Once Easter Sunday is determined, we count
40 days back to determine Ash Wednesday.
