LENT, a significant season in the Christian liturgical year, begins today, March 5, with Ash Wednesday.

The liturgical year is the Church calendar observed by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Orthodox Christians, and several other denominations.

On Ash Wednesday, worshippers receive a cross-shaped mark on their foreheads made from ashes. These ashes are obtained by burning palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, according to the Catholic News Agency.

Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, was observed on March 24 in 2024 and falls on April 13 this year. It is marked by the use of palm fronds, which worshippers wave during processions or fashion into crosses to take home.

This tradition commemorates Jesus Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem when his followers laid palm branches before him, as recounted in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The Lenten season is a solemn period characterised by fasting, prayers, penance and almsgiving.

“Lent is a 40-day journey of sacrifice, prayer, and charity, echoing the time Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, spent fasting in the wilderness” says the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Daniel Okoh, in a statement released for the season.

Similarly, the Bishop of Enugu Catholic Diocese, Callistus Onaga, speaking on the need to use the Lenten season for sober reflection says,  “Once you are a human being, you have your shortcomings, and once you have your shortcomings, you are a sinner. So, observing the Lenten season helps Christians to turn away from their sins.”

The 40-day duration mirrors the fasting periods of Jesus Christ before his public ministry, as well as those of prophets Elijah and Moses, who each fasted for 40 days at different times.

The Lenten season culminates in Easter, which falls on April 20 this year, the Sunday after Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday ushers in Holy Week, the sacred period in the Christian calendar.

“The Holy Week is where we take our journey with Jesus [Christ] from his passion through his death and into his resurrection. It begins this Sunday, Passion Sunday, sometimes called Palm Sunday,” says the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter A. Comensoli, during last year’s video message titled “invitation to walk with Jesus this Holy Week”.

The Holy Week consists of:

• Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Holy Wednesday, which focus on Jesus’ teachings, his anointing at Bethany, and Judas’ betrayal.
• Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper, where Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. The last super is said to be the beginning of the Eucharist (Holy Communion), celebrated in churches today.
• Good Friday, marking Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.
• Holy Saturday, a day of waiting, reflection, and remembrance of his time in the tomb before the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Beyond marking events and seasons, the liturgical year also dictates the colours of vestments  – clothes – worn by priests, choirs and used in church decorations.

During Lent, violet or purple is used, symbolising penance and preparation, while on Easter Sunday, the colour changes to white, signifying joy and resurrection. Red is used for the Holy week, while Black is used for Good Friday.