Forty days before Easter

Easter may not be until April, but the 40 days preceding Holy Week are important in many Christian denominations. The first of those days, Ash Wednesday, opens up a season known as Lent. This year, Ash Wednesday falls on February 22 and Easter will be celebrated on Sunday, April 9.

“Ash Wednesday, is a somber reminder of human mortality and the need for reconciliation with God. It is frequently linked to ashes and fasting”, according to Britannica.

On Ash Wednesday, participants in some Christian denominations receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads as an outward sign of their commitment to spiritual renewal. Those ashes are traditionally made from the palms used the year before on Palm Sunday and the crosses are made out of palms to represent the events on that holy day.

Many Catholics observe Lent by fasting from meat and making a conscious effort to focus on prayer and repentance. Many also commit to giving up something they enjoy, such as sweets, as a reminder of the importance of self-discipline and sacrifice. By engaging in these acts of self-denial, believers are reminded of the importance of sacrifice and humility. In addition, the practice of Lent is seen as a time for spiritual renewal, encouraging believers to look inward and focus on their own spiritual well-being.

The week prior to Easter honors the week that Jesus Christ was crucified and rose from the dead, according to Church tradition and Biblical accounts. Known as Holy Week, it begins on Sunday, April 2, which honors Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey and people were laying down palm fronds to pave his way in victory.

According to Trinity College of the University of Melbourne, “Holy Week continues in many Christian traditions on ‘Holy Wednesday’ (known as ‘Spy Wednesday’ in earlier times). Holy Wednesday is often marked with a service of Tenebrae (Latin for ‘darkness’ or ‘shadows’), with the hearing of appropriate psalms and other readings while candles on a candelabrum (the ‘Tenebrae hearse’) are gradually extinguished, creating a sense of growing darkness. This darkness symbolizes the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples, and anticipates the anguish and tragedy of Good Friday later on in Holy Week.”

The next day, Maundy Thursday, is popularly associated with The Last Supper, which has been made famous by the painting by Leonardo DaVinci. It is the day Christ is said to have been betrayed and the day that led up to his crucifixion.

Jesus is said to have been crucified on the day that is called Good Friday, and will be celebrated this year on April 7. On the following Sunday, April 9, Christians around the world celebrate Jesus’s resurrection, a time when women who were substantial in His life visited the tomb and reported it to be empty.

While the last week of this season is important and celebrated around the world in a variety of ways, the 40 days preceding Holy Week are often overlooked. It is a time of peaceful reflection rather than joyous celebration, but it is also a time when believers often prepare their hearts for the joy that ends the season and it is well worth recognizing.