Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and the start of a period of fasting for Christians
Nagpur: Christians have two main festivals. One is Christmas, the day when Jesus Christ was born and second is Easter when Jesus Christ was resurrected. However, the holy week starts from Monday.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and the start of a period of fasting for Christians around the world. Evening Mass is held in most Churches in the city on March 23, 2016.
March 24, 2016 is observed by Christian brethren as Maundy Thursday also known as “Holy Thursday”. This is the Thursday of Passion Week. Maundy Thursday is the name given to the day on which Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, also known as the Last Supper. On Thursday too there will be a service or Holy Mass in our Church which I’ll have to attend.
Christians who observe Lent use it as a time for prayer and penance. By observing Lent, Christians are remembering the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who withdrew into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days before his crucifixion.
Lent is a period of abstinence
Most Christians fast for the whole period of Lent, as a reflection of sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the Judean Desert. Some Christians fast only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday.
However, many people, even those who do not go to church, choose to give up a particular vice, such as their favourite food, alcohol or smoking for the period of Lent.
Friday the March 25, 2016 is Good Friday which commemorates the final hours of Jesus’ life, his crucifixion, and death, as described in the Christian Bible. Most Christian brethren observe fast or abstain from meat on this day. Good Friday is a day of sadness, in which Services or Masses are held in the afternoon.
On Sunday, i.e. Sunday the March 27, 2016 is Easter, which is a Christian festival which is celebrated for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the New Testament (Bible), Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday, and came back to life three days later on Easter. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday, which also marks the end of Lent, a 40 day period of fasting which begins on Ash Wednesday.
By Samuel Gunasekharan
