Christians observed Ash Wednesday on February 14, marking the beginning of the austere 40-day Lent season, which will end on Good Friday on March 29 and Holy Saturday on March 30, the two days before Easter Sunday, the resurrection day of Jesus Christ.
Faithful will sacrifice favourite food
The liturgical season marks the period that Jesus fasted in the desert, leading to his death and resurrection. All denominations observe the season, but Roman Catholics are among the most fervent observers, spending the period with austerity and prayers. Father Joe D’Souza, parish priest at Our Lady of Health Church, Cavel, Kalbadevi, said, “Prayers, fasting, and almsgiving are the three things people do during this period.”
The faithful sacrifice a favourite food during the period. Father D’Souza, for instance, said he will eat an austere meal of rice kanji and papad on all Wednesdays and Fridays till Easter. Some give up meat; others, considering the newer indulgences of the modern era, abstain from social media. For others, abstinence is not about gadgets and food. They do ‘fasting with the tongue’, another phrase to describe a resolve to not gossip. “For me, it is about contributing to good and reaching out in any way possible,” said Margaret DaCosta, a member of the Holy Name Cathedral parish, Colaba.
Symbolism of ashes
People visited churches to get a cross marked on their foreheads with ash. There were religious services during the day for this, but churches also welcomed office goers who walked into the nearest church during lunch hours to receive the anointing. “The ashes symbolise our mortality – remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” said Melwyn Fernandes, a Thane resident.
In his Lent message, Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, said, “It is time to act, and in Lent, to act also means to pause. To pause in prayer, in order to receive the word of God, to pause like the Samaritan in the presence of a wounded brother or sister.”
Celebrations not held in this season
Many Christians do not hold celebrations during this period. For instance, the birthday of Fernandes wife, Veronica, a dentist, was on February 14, but the family celebrated it on Tuesday before the Lent season began. Similarly, weddings and other joyous occasions are not held during the season. This year, Ash Wednesday was on the same day as Valentine’s Day, which commemorates the death of St Valentine, an Italian-born saint in the Catholic Church, leaving many of the faithful in a dilemma.
Valentine’s Day is associated with good food, flowers, and romantic dates while Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting. Priests had advised to let the sentiments of Ash Wednesday prevail over Valentine’s Day.
