Ash Wednesday is on 5 March
six-and-a-half weeks before Easter.

  The Christian season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday.

 The date of Ash Wednesday varies each year according to the date of Easter. It is always six-and-a-half weeks before Easter. The earliest possible date of Ash Wednesday is 4 February and the latest possible date is 10 March.

To find out about Lent click here

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is a Christian festival. It marks the beginning of six and a half weeks of repentance, fasting and abstinence in preparation for the most important Christian festival of Easter.

When is Ash Wednesday?

Why is it called Ash Wednesday?

Ashes are something that are left when something is burned.

For Christians, ashes are a symbol of being sorry for things they have done wrong and want to get rid of forever. It is also a reminder to them that we all come from ashes, and to ashes we all will return.

Why are ashes marked on the forehead?

For Christians, the marking on the forehead with ash marks the commitment to Jesus Christ and God. They wanted to show God that they were sorry for the wrong things they had done in the past year.

Using a mark on the forehead as a sign of commitment is also used in many Middle Eastern cultures where a round, coloured circle is marked on the forehead.

 What happens on Ash Wednesday today?

Many Christians will attend a religious service where the ashes are blessed by the church leader, and placed on their forehead.

Christians believe this marks the physical and spiritual beginning of a personal Lent season in which 40 days of repentance will begin leading up to the celebration of Easter Sunday.

The actual moment when the forehead is marked initiates the beginning of lent for each individual person.

What are the ashes made from?

In churches the priest first burns the palm

that have been kept from last year’s Palm Sunday and then mixes the ashes of these crosses with holy water (which has been blessed) to make a greyish paste. When people go to church on Ash Wednesday, the priest dips his thumb in the paste and uses it to make the sign of the cross on each person’s forehead. copyright of projectbritain.com

 Why are last years Palm Crosses recycled?

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, so when the crosses used in the last years Palm Sunday service are converted to ashes, worshippers are reminded that defeat and crucifixion swiftly followed triumph.

 What do the ashes symbolise?
Using ashes to mark the cross on the believer’s forehead symbolises that through Christ’s death and resurrection, all Christians can be free from sin.

 An Ash Wednesday Tradition

In 2014 Pancake Day is on Tuesday 4 March

What happens on Pancake Day in England?

Read on to find out why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and other facts about this special time of year.

What is Pancake Day?

Pancake Day ( also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. It is traditional on this day to eat pancakes. copyright of projectbritain.com

Why are Pancakes eaten on Shrove Tuesday?

Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren’t allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

When is Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)?

Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and is therefore the final day before the commencement of Lent, a Christian festival leading up to Easter Sunday (Easter Day).

Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between 3 February and 9 March. (See our Lent page for a visual explanation why Shrove Tuesday is 47 days and not 41 days before Easter)

Why do Christians call the day ‘Shrove Tuesday’?

The name Shrove comes from the old word «shrive» which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began. copyright of projectbritain.com

What is Shrove Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday is a day of celebration as well as penitence, because it’s the last day before Lent. Throughout the United Kingdom, and in other countries too, people indulge themselves on foods that traditionally aren’t allowed during Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent. copyright of projectbritain.com

What is an English Pancake?

A pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of batter and fried in a pan.

The photograph shows a pancake
being cooked in a frying pan.

Caster sugar (superfine sugar) is sprinkled over the top and a dash of fresh lemon juice added. The pancake is then rolled. Some people add golden syrup or jam.