When is Ash Wednesday in 2024?

When is Ash Wednesday this year?

Lent brings 40 days of reflection.

A look at this Catholic holiday.

The celebration of Ash Wednesday is a ceremony that marks the beginning of Lent for many people.

It is a period of 40 days of repentance, reflection and growth. It precedes Easter or Resurrection Sunday.

Last year it took place on Wednesday, February 22, but what day does it fall on in 2024?

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Ash Wednesday is always observed six and a half weeks before Easter.

Devotees worldwide believe that this was the day when Jesus Christ resurrected. Sundays are not counted in the 40-day period of Lent.

It should be noted that Eastern and Western churches use different days to mark the beginning of Lent.

However, many people do not give it the importance it deserves and do not attend church on that day, though some feel it should be mandatory.

The origins of Ash Wednesday

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Lent dates back to the year 325. At that time, it was used as a preparation phase for baptisms.

The duration of this celebration is to pay tribute to the 40-day fast of Jesus Christ when he journeyed through the desert after being baptized.

Believers consider this period a divine test of Jesus’ spirituality.

Others see it as each a reflection of each person’s ability to resist the temptations that arise in daily life.

What does the cross on the forehead mean?

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When thinking of Ash Wednesday, one immediately pictures the cross that the priest places on the foreheads of the faithful.

According to National Geographic, the ash cross represents mortality, as well as penance for sins.

Almost always the priest says the following blessing: «Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.»

The ashes are obtained from palm leaves burned during the previous year’s Palm Sunday services. Many people leave them on all day.

What happened during the COVID pandemic?

When Is Ash Wednesday in 2024? / Photo: Shutterstock

Perhaps few remember that, due to Covid-19, many celebrations were suspended, including religious ceremonies.

On January 12, 2021, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a statement.

They recommended wearing masks and social distancing during Ash Wednesday.

Instead of placing them on the forehead, as is tradition, the ashes were placed on the heads of the faithful.

When is Ash Wednesday in 2024?

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So when is Ash Wednesday in 2024? This year it will be on February 14.

Many Catholics fast on this day, abstain from eating meat and repent for their sins.

Like Good Friday, on this day some people between the ages of 18 and 59, eat only once a day.

However, over the years, the Church has shown more flexibility about various traditions.