Don’t let Wednesday get you down! Read these poems about Wednesday to add a dash of brightness to your day.
Addams chose Wednesday after an old fortune-telling rhyme, yet she also alluded to Edgar Allan Poe’s 1846 tale of revenge known as The Cask of Amontillado in her choice of name for Wednesday and her team of jesters Xavier and Wednesday. These jesters represent multiple accounts of people being entombed alive or being buried alive alive buried alive.
1. ‘Ash Wednesday’ by T. S. Eliot
People worldwide who practice Christianity – predominantly Catholicism – walk around sporting an ash cross on their foreheads to commemorate Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent – a period of fasting and reflection leading up to Easter.
Ashes from Palm Sunday of the previous year are used to decorate a cross of ashes on each person’s forehead as a symbol of mortality and sinfulness, sorrow, repentance, and hope in God that Jesus died for our sins and rose again so we don’t have to continue living them out on our own.
Although Ash Wednesday does not appear directly in Scripture, its traditions have deep roots within biblical teachings. Many accounts can be found of people using ashes and dust as symbols of repentance and mourning (2 Samuel 13:19; Job 2:8; Esther 4:1; Daniel 9:3).
Ash Wednesday marks the official beginning of Lent, usually six and a half weeks (or 46 days if subtracting Sundays) before Easter Sunday (April 18 this year). Many confuse Ash Wednesday with Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, however. Shrove Tuesday is actually just the last day before Lent begins; it should not be treated as a holy day.
2. ‘Ash Wednesday’ by T. S. Eliot
Ash Wednesday marks one of the most significant holy days in Christianity and signifies the start of Lent, a period of repentance leading up to Easter. Ash Wednesday symbolizes grief; Christians may feel guilty over past sins or faults that they committed, which dates back centuries in early Christian observances when those guilty would be publically removed from the church and sprinkled with ashes as a reminder of mortality.
Today, Catholics and Protestants alike observe Ash Wednesday by attending special Mass (Catholics) or worship services with priests or pastors sprinkling ashes on those present to remind them of their mortality and mark the start of the Lenten season. Eastern Orthodox Church does not observe Ash Wednesday; their penitential practices begin on Clean Monday instead.
3. ‘Ash Wednesday’ by T. S. Eliot
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent or the penitential season in Christianity. It takes place the Wednesday before Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday), with worshippers receiving the ceremonial imposition of ashes to symbolize death and repentance, reminding them that humanity needs God’s reconciliation more than ever before.
Christians believe that Christ died for their sins and rose again on Easter Sunday, which they commemorate by placing an ash cross symbolizing sorrow for sins he died and rose again to erase during Mass (Catholics) or worship services (Protestants). Catholic priests place this cross of ashes onto people’s foreheads during Mass or worship services (Protestants), symbolizing mourning over Christ’s sacrifice through death and resurrection.
Wearing of Ashes (Holy Thursday, Ash Wednesday, or Ash Wednesday in Christianity) is an act that marks our mortality and our need for forgiveness, as well as beginning an annual 46-day period of prayer, fasting, and penance called Lent, leading up to Easter Sunday.
4. ‘Ash Wednesday’ by T. S. Eliot
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, eight weeks of prayer and fasting before Easter, for Christians. Catholics and many Protestant denominations alike have traditionally observed it; many Catholic churches hold special Masses on Ash Wednesday that commemorate death and repentance through an ashes distribution ceremony or worship service, during which priests or pastors place crosses of ashes onto worshippers’ foreheads before offering short sermons about repentance or forgiveness. Ash also marks graves and graveyards and can even be sprinkled on children’s or infants’ heads to show respect.
Ash Wednesday is an ancient practice and part of Christian tradition, serving as a reminder that human lives are limited and need for reconciliation with God. Additionally, it offers an opportunity to reflect upon one’s sins and mourn them as a process of repentance – similar to grieving the death of a loved one(s).
5. ‘Ash Wednesday’ by T. S. Eliot
Ash Wednesday is an important Christian holiday that marks 46 days before Easter and kicks off a period of fasting, self-denial, and prayer called Lent. Ashes are worn upon one’s forehead as a mark of mourning or repentance, often symbolized with crosses worn on your forehead as part of this practice. Ashes are a poignant reminder to Christians that they have fallen short in their relationship with the Almighty and must work toward reconciling that relationship with him. Additionally, the reminder is also an eternal one – that one day, all will succumb and return to dust. Ash Wednesday has become an established tradition among Western Christians; Eastern Orthodox Christians usually begin Lent on Clean Monday and, therefore, do not observe Ash Wednesday as part of Lent.
6. ‘Ash Wednesday’ by T. S. Eliot
This week, you may notice people sporting ash marks on their foreheads as a mark of faith and repentance. People practicing Christianity receive this mark at special Mass or worship services (Catholics) or from pastors/ministers (Protestants). Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, which is a penitential period leading up to Easter.
At this ceremony, a priest or minister places a cross of ashes onto someone’s forehead while reading out loud the phrase: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Ashes symbolize death as they remind us of our mortality; additionally, they can represent grief due to sins we have committed that distance us from God.
Ash Wednesday is an important day for Christians as it offers a solemn yet personal reminder to repent and find reconciliation with God. However, Eastern Orthodox churches begin Lent on Clean Monday instead of Ash Wednesday and do not observe this ceremony.
