UNDATED (WTVB) – Parts of Western Christianity are marking Ash Wednesday. The date commemorates the 40 days Christ spent in the desert fasting and being tempted by Satan, as written in the Gospels.
Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Presbyterians remember today with ceremonies, including ash being placed in the form of a cross on their foreheads or being sprinkled over their heads. Catholics and Anglicans typically fast on Ash Wednesday.
The day is seen as the start of the Lent season. Lent leads up to Easter weekend where Christ was crucified on Good Friday, then rose again on Easter morning.
