Essential facts: What you need to know about Ash Wednesday

Below are essential facts that you need to know about the religious celebration that marks the beginning of Lent.

12:24 18 February 2015

February 18th is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of lent, which is a 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting or abstinence.

On the sacred day, hundreds and thousands of Christians walk around with a cross marked on their forehead. Below are five fast facts to explain why:

The customs and
origins of Lent
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1.    Ash Wednesday comes 46 days before Easter. It marks the beginning of Lent, which represents the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. This period is marked by fasting, prayer, and abstinence.
2.    Christians imitate the distribution of ashes, which symbolizes repentance.
3.    The priest or minister says either of the following when applying the ashes to the forehead: “Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.” Genesis 3:19, and “Repent, and believe the Gospel.” Mark 1:15
4.    The ashes used came from the burning of palms the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
5.    Catholics observe fasting and abstinence from meat during Ash Wednesday while Christian denominations focuses on repenting.