IN PICS: Churchgoers Seen In Masks For Ash Wednesday Mass; Welcoming 40-Day Lent Period

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Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40 day period of fasting which will be broken on Easter. Archbishop of Hyderabad Poola Anthony sprinkle ashes on the head of a Catholic Christians due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic during an Ash Wednesday service at Saint Mary's Basilica in Secunderabad on February 17, 2021. (Image Noah Seelam / AFP)

This year Ash Wednesday is on February 17th, the term ‘Day of Ashes’ comes from “Dies Cinerum” in the Roman Missal and can be found in the earliest existing copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary. The concept originated amongst the Roman Catholics somewhere in the 6th century. (Image Noah Seelam / AFP)