Is it just me or there is something seriously wrong when people are asked to repent and be reflective of their sins only once a year? I base this on the article I read about the origins of Ash Wednesday.
The observance of this day was probably first recorded in the writings of an Anglo-Saxon abbot, Aelfric (955-1020). It was originally call dies cinerum (day of ashes). I quote the article as Aelfric writes, "We read in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast." (emphasis added)
From where I live, most of the people I know observe this merely to follow the bandwagon. Not really a sign of true repentance for most, I feel that it has lost its significance to some. To my horrors, I just found out now, upon reading more in the topic that my long-detested Fat Tuesday celebration is observed a day before Ash Wednesday. Forgive me for my ignorance. I don't just don't like the idea, I abhor it. I've watched celebration of this from childhood and stopped watching it altogether upon maturity. It promotes too much sinfulness. Now I know.
The observance of this day was probably first recorded in the writings of an Anglo-Saxon abbot, Aelfric (955-1020). It was originally call dies cinerum (day of ashes). I quote the article as Aelfric writes, "We read in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast." (emphasis added)
From where I live, most of the people I know observe this merely to follow the bandwagon. Not really a sign of true repentance for most, I feel that it has lost its significance to some. To my horrors, I just found out now, upon reading more in the topic that my long-detested Fat Tuesday celebration is observed a day before Ash Wednesday. Forgive me for my ignorance. I don't just don't like the idea, I abhor it. I've watched celebration of this from childhood and stopped watching it altogether upon maturity. It promotes too much sinfulness. Now I know.
For more information about it, I'm still scouring the net for finds, but for now, these will do.
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