Ash Wednesday in words and pictures
Ash Wednesday was colourful and fun, as always, in the heart of Hafnarfjörður. The children sniffed up the sugar and sang wonderfully for every crumb.
Ash Wednesday in the heart of Hafnarfjörður
There was joy and fun in the streets of Hafnarfjörður town centre today, Shrove Tuesday. The children ran sweetly between the shops, the library and the service centre. Some even sneaked into the mayor's office. Treats were on offer and the singing echoed. The songs were varied and numerous, the performances polished and sung with heart and soul – after all, there was a lot at stake!
As stated on the University's Science website, Ash Wednesday The start day of Lent, the Wednesday in the 7th week before Easter. The date cannot be taken for granted. It can vary between 4 February and 10 March. But this year, Ash Wednesday is on 5 March.
The Great Day of Atonement
But why is the day called Ash Wednesday? „Ash Wednesday has long been important in the Catholic liturgical year and its name is derived from the fact that on this day, ashes are sometimes distributed over the heads of churchgoers, and a special wand is even used for this purpose. Elsewhere, it is customary to smear ash on the foreheads of churchgoers. As can be read in many places in the Bible, Ash symbolises the perishable and unworthy, but it has also been considered to possess wholesome and cleansing power. Lent is the ecclesiastical season of penance, and the scattering of ashes over the congregation reminds them of their mortality and at the same time cleanses them of their sins,“ says the website Vísindavefurinn.
Let's enjoy the pictures and the joy with the children.