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Ash Wednesday Feb. 26

Cooky

Veteran Member
Just a reminder that this coming Wednesday will be ash Wednesday, which will mark the beginning of Lent.


“in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast.” ~ Aelfric
 

pearl

Well-Known Member
To the ancients ashes were often symbolic of mortality, mourning or penance. In Hebrew Scripture after Jonah has announced the destruction of Nineveh and the news reached the king he rises from the throne, puts off his robe, puts on sackcloth and sits in ashes, and then proclaims a fast. Nineveh mourns its sins and does penance. (Jonah 3 :1-6) 'Oh daughter of my people, mourn as for an only child with bitter wailing for sudden upon us comes the destroyer, (6 :26). For the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have long ago repented in sackcloth and ashes, (Mt 11 :21)
In the three hundreds local churches had a ritual for public penance at the start of lent.
 

Maximus

the Confessor
To the ancients ashes were often symbolic of mortality, mourning or penance. In Hebrew Scripture after Jonah has announced the destruction of Nineveh and the news reached the king he rises from the throne, puts off his robe, puts on sackcloth and sits in ashes, and then proclaims a fast. Nineveh mourns its sins and does penance. (Jonah 3 :1-6) 'Oh daughter of my people, mourn as for an only child with bitter wailing for sudden upon us comes the destroyer, (6 :26). For the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have long ago repented in sackcloth and ashes, (Mt 11 :21)
In the three hundreds local churches had a ritual for public penance at the start of lent.

As for symbols of mortality, getting only slightly off-topic here, I always found the use of an akakia a profound part of the Eastern tradition:

Akakia - Wikipedia

It was a purple silk roll filled with dust to symbolize the mortality of all.
 
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