Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-03-08
ASH WEDNESDAY. -.
Some Old Time Customs of the Day
and What They Meant.


With the exception of Good Friday
there is no more solemn day I'm the
church year than Ash Wednesday. Ev.
erybody understands that il is the frst
day Of Lent, but that it has not al.
ways been included In Lent doubtless
IS fact little known.
In the fifth and sixth centuries Lent
began with the succeeding Sunday and
continued for six weeks, which. with
the omission OF Sundays. would be
thirty-six days. At what time Ash
Wednesday and the three following
days were added to the fast Is not
precisely known. but II was before
TIA, as we have records or Lent kept
at that date in precisely the same way
as 1t Is kept now.
Ash Wednesday got Its name from
the fact that on that day each year
people received at church ashes that
were put on their foreheads by the
priest. Making the sign of the cross
with the ashes, the priest would say
In Latin, Remember, man, thou art
but dust, and unto dust thou shalt re.
turn" This ceremony commemorate
Gods curse of Adam after the fall.
Originally the administration of the
ashes was only for public penitents
These appeared barefooted and in some
rough garb before the church door
There their penances were imposed
on them. Then, upon admission into
the church, they were brought before
the bishop, who put ashes on their
heads, and to the words already quot
ed added, "Do penance, that thou may
est have eternal life"
Soon, however, human nature assert
cd itself, and people would not allow
their friends and relatives to go unac-
companied as penitents to the church:
so, expressing similar contrition by
dress and receiving ashes on their
heads, they went with them. When
the number OF these charitable peope
increased, the rite was extended to the
whole congregation.
The ashes used were obtained from
the burning of the palms In the church
es on the previous Palm Sunday. Soon
after the reformation the English
church abandoned the use of ashes.
Ashes In the old dispensation were
used as SIGN of mourning and peni-
tence. Sackcloth and ashes formed q
common combination. The Jews con-
stantly used these as symbols of grief
and desolation.
In rural France the peasantry on Ash
Wednesday used to carry around an
ehigy supposed to be the personificatiou
or good cheer and collected money for
flrnnrD1 inn All
the burial of good living. After several
mummeries the efligy was deposited In
the earth
The burial of the sardine Is n Span
ish custom. a small paper covered cOf-
fin containing n small fish or a morel
OF sausage is carried in procession as
symbol OF the burial of all worldly
pleasures during Lent. At Madrid n
vast throng turns out to witness the
burial OF the sardine in the banks OF
the Manzanares.
The Jack-o'-Lent Is n scarecrow-l Ike
efiigy used as n symbol OF Lent and
carried around In professions. The
Idea of fasting and abstinence never
has been popular; consequently the
Jack-o'-Lent usually becomes a target
for sticks and stones.
In England arose n curious custom.
An officer known as the kings cock
Grower crowed the hour every night
within the precincts OF the palace dur
Ing Lent instead of leaving 1t to the
watchman to proclaim the time. On
the first Ash Wednesday after the
Hanoverian succession, just as the
Prince of Wales subsequently, George
I'D sat down to supper. this officer
made his appearance and emitted ten
shrill crows. But this did not happen
again. The court decided it could do
without any further initiation OF Pc
ters cock to remind 1t of its errors
New York Post.