The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-03-02
The Lenten Season.

Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the
first day of Lent, and members Of the
Roman Catholic, the Episcopal and the
Lutheran Churches will give up all werld-
ly amusements during this period of fast
ing and praying. Society in general will
take a much-needed rest from the gaieties
of the winter season.
Special services were held in all the
churches which observe this Church sea
son, and many of them, especially the
Roman Catholic and Protestant Episcopal
churches, will have services daily. Tues
day, which was observed as a day of pre-
paraton for Lent, is known as Sbrove
Tuesday from the fact that many members
of the Catholic Church confess their sins
to the priest on that day and are shriven
At many homes pancakes were the chief
/ ticle of diet at the midday meal. This
custom dates back to the custom observed
by the farmers of Essex and Suffolk
many, many years ago, when, after the
return from church, where all had been
-hriven, the plownan was blindfo'ded
and led to the barn, where fiat hen"
uad been placed, with instructions to
catch it and kill it, and give a feast of
pancakes to his men.
After mas at the Roman Catholic
churches Wednesday the priest marked
. cross on the forehead of those attend
ing with as hes made by burning tho palms
which were blsssed and placed on the
d tar on last Palm Sunday.
The word Lent, which is given this sea
son, comes from the old Saxon word
"Lenten," meaning spring, and is really
Il contraction Of the words "Lenten fast"
or "spring fast" to distin guish it from
the other fasts of the Church year. After
it had been in use for number Of years
it came to stand for season of fasting
and penitence, and was applied with
equal appropriateness to the fast of St..
Martimas," which is now replaced by the
season Of Advent, which includes the
days bet ween Advent Sunday and Christ
mas. The custom of observing Lent
comes from the earliest days of the
Church. and. Though the number Of days
to be observed as fast days varied for
lasting 46 days, including Sundays, which
are not counted as fast days. but are look
cd upon as "small Casters" 1t common
crates the 40 days fast and temptation Of
which is known as Holy Week, opens
with Palm Sunday, when the triumphant
ntry of Christ into Jerusalem is celebrat
ed, and the churches are decorated with
palms This day Of joy, however. is
quickly followed by the days of sorrow
haundy Thursday. upon which the first
celebration of the holy communion was
held, and Good Friday, the day on which
Christ was tried and crucied. Then
comes Easter Day, with all its joy and
decoration, on which the resurrection of
Christ from the dead is celebrated.
Cardinal Gibbons, in accordance with
custom, has issued the regulations for
Lent" for the guidance of all Roman
Catholics in the Archdiocese of Balti
more.
Little card board "keystones," or mis-,
sion boxes, were given the Sunday school
children of the Protestant Episcopal
churches Throughout the country on Sun
day. They are supposed to put the pen
MES they save by self denial in the boxes,
which are returned at Easter to the Board
of Missions in New York, to be used for
Last year the children's offering amount
ed to 1921 600