Ash Wednesday 2019 is TODAY – but why is it called that, what is Lent and how long does it last?
THE time has come for many of us to give up some our favourite treats and vices.
The start of the Christian pre-Easter fasting period, which often sees people giving up tasty treats, always falls on Ash Wednesday which is TODAY. Here's what you need to know about it
What is Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday is the day after Shrove Tuesday – perhaps better known to many as Pancake Day – and it is TODAY, March 6.
It marks the start of Lent, where people over the globe give up certain foods or habits to improve their health or demonstrate self-restraint.
To commemorate the day, clergy all over the world burn palm from the previous year's Palm Sunday services to create ash.
This is then rubbed across people's foreheads in the shape of the cross as they are reminded "For dust you are and to dust you shall return".
The ceremony is meant to show followers that their lives are short and they must live them to the fullest.
What is Lent and how long does it last?
Lent is a 40-day fast, so will run up until the Thursday before Easter Sunday, which in 2019 lands on April 18 and is known as Holy Thursday.
It originated as a mirroring of Jesus Christ's 40 days fasting in the desert, where, according to the gospels, he endured temptation by Satan.
Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the practice actually begins 46 days before Easter Sunday – the six Sundays in between are not counted, as they are not days of fasting.
People follow Jesus’ example and give up vices in a bid to grow closer to God as Easter approaches.
Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day occurs the day before Lent begins, symbolising when Christians would eat up foods such as milk and eggs before fasting.
How is Shrove Tuesday's date decided and why do we eat pancakes?
Shrove Tuesday falls on the last day before Ash Wednesday – so is always 47 days before Easter Sunday – and in 2019 it was on Tuesday, March 5.
The date varies each year but will always be between February 3 and March 9.
As the day before Lent, Shrove Tuesday is the perfect time to get rid of any last minute indulgences – and use up any fatty foods.
In the USA it’s known as Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday".
On this day, people stuff themselves with fatty foods before the period of abstinence kicks in.
The word "shrove" comes from the term "shrive", meaning to free yourself from sin.
In the past, families would be encouraged to clear out their cupboards to remove the fattening foods from their houses.
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They needed to come up with an easy way to get rid of temptation by throwing away their indulgent ingredients, so threw them into one simple meal.
The tradition of eating pancakes, believed to originate from pagan ritual, allows families to use up all their eggs, butter, milk and flour all in one dish.
Some people believe that pancakes represent the four pillars of the Christian faith: eggs for creation, flour for sustenance, salt for wholesomeness and milk for purity.