Ash Wednesday marks beginning of Lenten season - 19 Action News|Cleveland, OH|News, Weather, Sports

Ash Wednesday marks beginning of Lenten season

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(WOIO) -

It is Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning of the Christian Lenten season.  

Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are gathered after the palm crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned.

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence. Fasting means the limiting of oneself to a single full meal per day.  All Catholics who have reached their 18th birthday and have not as yet reached their 60th birthday are obligated to fast.  Abstinence from meat begins for all Catholics who have reached their 14th birthday.

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