Askonsdag

Askonsdag, also known as Ash Wednesday, is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian liturgical calendar. It marks the opening of a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penitence that leads to Easter. The date varies each year, but it falls 46 days before Easter Sunday.

Traditionally, Askonsdag is observed with the imposition of ashes on the forehead in the shape of a cross. The ashes are typically made from burned palm leaves from the previous year's Palm Sunday and symbolize mortality and repentance. During the service, clergy may bless the ashes and impart them to worshippers with words such as “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” or a local variant.

Practices on Askonsdag vary by denomination and country. Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and many Reformed churches commonly observe the day with the imposition of ashes and a penitential mood. Some Protestant communities observe the day through reflection without ashes. In some Orthodox Christian traditions, Lent begins on a different date and Ash Wednesday is not observed in the same form.

In addition to liturgical observances, individuals may undertake fasting or abstinence from certain foods during Lent as a spiritual discipline. As a cultural marker, Askonsdag signals the start of the Lenten season in many Christian-majority regions and is often linked to the pre-Lenten period that includes Shrove Tuesday.