Today is Easter Sunday, which for many Christian families in the Western world means a long weekend, chocolate eggs, and perhaps a nice home-made dinner.

For others, however, Easter is more than that. Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus three days after he was executed. It also marks the end of Lent, a forty-day fasting period. People who regularly go to church usually attend a special Easter service, which is usually more elaborate than a regular Sunday service. 

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The Christian celebration, Lent, begins today. Lent is forty days of reflection and preparation before Easter. It begins with Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday is a day to clean one’s soul before Lent. Lent is traditionally a season to fast from food and festivities, and to reflect upon the events that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Therefore, on Ash Wednesday, some Roman Catholic and Anglican churches have special services where worshippers are marked with ashes as a symbol of the sorrow of sin. Ash symbolises the fact that death comes to everyone, and that everyone should feel sad for their sins. In addition, ash symbolises the total finality of how, in the bible, God creates Adam from dust and how Adam returns to dust after his death. Hence, the saying, “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

During Lent the colour purple is very important. Purple symbolises both the morning of Jesus’ crucifixion and the royalty and sovereignty of his resurrection.

Lent is an old English word that means ‘to lengthen.’ Lent got this name for being a time of spring when days lengthen.

After Lent follows Easter, which is one of the most important and most celebrated Christian festivals.

 

Other celebrations in February:

Waitangi Day

Independence Days in February

St. Valentine’s Day

Red Hand Day

National Foundation Day: Japan

Setsubun: Japan