Lenten Beginnings

The liturgical season before Easter is called Lent.  The word origin seems to be from the Old English "lencten", or springtime, probably from the fact that the days "lengthen" during that season.  Lent as it is commonly observed today is a 40-day period of preparation for Easter.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent for the Western Church.  It is a day in which ashes are commonly imposed as a sign of penitence.  The liturgy of the Episcopal Church can be found on p. 264 of the Book of Common Prayer, and contains the words "...to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer."  The ashes are traditionally obtained by burning blessed palms from the previous year, and are used to mark a cross on the penitent's forehead with the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." 

Sometimes people ask me whether they should wear the ashes throughout the day, or wipe them off, particularly since the gospel for the day contains the words "...when you fast ...wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret...".  My personal answer is that if you want to wear it to show people that you've been to church so they can see how pious you are, you should probably wash them off.  If you feel a little sheepish about having them visible on your forehead, you should probably wear them as a witness to others -- and it may provide an opportunity to tell someone about your Christian faith.

The day before Ash Wednesday is called Shrove Tuesday, probably because the custom was to confess your sins sacramentally on that day and be "shriven", or absolved from them, by a priest.  It is also called Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, or Pancake Tuesday.  Because Lent was a time of fasting and abstinence, Shrove Tuesday was a time when rich foods that wouldn't be used during Lent were used up.  Pancakes were a good way to use your sugar, eggs and lard, so they became associated with Shrove Tuesday.  The name "Carnival" comes from the Latin words for "goodbye to meat".  "Mardi Gras" is French for Fat Tuesday, again referring to the custom of using up rich fatty foods before the season of fasting.

The calendar of the Episcopal Church (BCP p. 17) lists Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as fast days.  It also says, under the heading of "Days of Special Devotion",
    "The following days are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial:
    "Ash Wednesday and the other weekdays of Lent and of Holy Week, except the feast of the Annunciation.
    "Good Friday and all other Fridays of the year, in commemoration of the Lord's crucifixion, except for Fridays in the Christmas and Easter seasons, and any Feasts of our Lord which occur on a Friday."

In the Episcopal Church, and I believe in many other Western Churches as well, Lent is now celebrated for 40 days.  Originally it was probably a much shorter period of fasting that was done by catechumen in preparation for Baptism at Easter.  Why 40 days?  Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days.  The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  Elijah travelled 40 days and 40 nights to meet God at Mount Horeb.  If you count the days between (and including) Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday, though, you'll come up with 46 days, not 40.  The reason is that Sundays are always considered feast days, "little Easters", and so are not included in the 40 days.  Further, the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25th, transferred this year to March 26th) and the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19th) are major feast days, not days of fasting (although they are still included in the 40 day count).  Some Roman Catholic bishops also give a dispensation from fasting and/or abstinence for St. Patrick's Day (March 17th). 

It's customary during Lent to add some discipline that will help you grow in your Christian faith.  It can be giving up some vice that hinders you, or adding a practice that will help you, or both.  It should NOT be giving up something just to be able to say you did it, but something that will help bring you closer to God.  I sometimes joke about "giving up eating watermelon at midnight when the moon is full" as a ridiculous example.  I'd encourage you to do something that will not only help you grow closer to God, but something that you'd like to continue after Lent is over.  The liturgy for Ash Wednesday (BCP pp. 264-5) includes the following invitation to observe a holy Lent, which I think explains the purpose of the season very well:

"Dear People of God:  The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting.  This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism.  It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church.  Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith."

"I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.  And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer."