Ash Wednesday: What does it mean and why is it celebrated?

BarcelonaThis March 5th marks one of the most important dates in the liturgical calendar: Ash Wednesday. After a week of partying and debauchery to celebrate Carnival, the festivities end, and during this day the burial of the sardine takes place. It is also the first day of Lent, the 40-day period preceding Holy Week. But what exactly do we celebrate on Ash Wednesday and why is it called that?

The holiday is celebrated 46 days before Easter Sunday, so it can vary between February 4th and March 10th depending on the year. For Catholic, Protestant and Anglican traditions it is a day of abstinence and fasting: the beginning of Lent, the period that symbolizes the 40 days prior (not counting Sundays) to the resurrection of Jesus.

The way of celebrating it depends on the mood of the population. This is explained by Bienve Moya, a folklorist, writer and cultural manager: "There are municipalities where there is still a party, it is the last day of carnival. On the other hand, there are others that already celebrate the first day of Lent and the joy is already over." In these first days, the most popular festival is the burial of the sardine. That is, the Carnival King is said goodbye until next year and the days of debauchery are brought to an end after a week of partying that begins with Fat Thursday.

How is the burial of the sardine celebrated? Moya explains that in each town it is done in a different way: "in some places the Carnival King is burned or the testament is read that puts an end to the debauchery." Sometimes the Old Lent appears, a representation of the time that this stage lasts (7 weeks), an old charuga with seven legs that serve as a calendar.

The meaning of Ash Wednesday

This Wednesday, the 5th, begins a period of reflection and penitence. Ashes are, in fact, a penitential symbol that was instituted in the 10th century: they are used to draw a cross in front of the faithful. This symbolic act is related to the mortality of humans, reflection on one's own sins and the reunion with God during Lent. According to tradition, the ashes must come from the cremation of laurels and lungs blessed on Palm Sunday of the previous year. Bienve Moya also highlights that the time of "observation of the meal" begins and a period of resurrection that coincides with the arrival of spring.

During the imposition of ashes on Christians, the priest pronounces the words: "Memento, homo, quia pulvis se, te in pulverem revertios", that is to say: "Remember, man, that you are dust, and to dust you must return," which very well sums up the symbol of conversion that Lent seeks and the meaning of this celebration.