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)

During the Ash Wednesday service, the priest places palm ash on the parishioners head or draws a cross on their foreheads. The ashes are prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebrations. (Image Noah Seelam / AFP)

Though there is no mention of Ash Wednesday in the Bible but the priest reads out Genesis 3:19: “For dust you are and to dust you shall return”.(Image Noah Seelam / AFP)

According to Christian faith, Lent is the preparation Easter which is the day Jesus Christ resurrected. Believers prepare through prayer, doing penance, repentance of sins and almsgiving. Many Indian practise it by forgoing meat based food but it is not mandatory, as a believer can ‘fast’ from anything they consider a temptation. (Image Noah Seelam / AFP)

Lent starts with Ash Wednesday for the Latin rites; it starts two days earlier for the Syrian rites with the Ash Monday. (Image Noah Seelam / AFP)

The date for Ash Wednesday falls on a different date each year because it depends on the day of Easter. Christians visit the Saint Xavier Church for an Ash Wednesday mass, in Kanyakumari district. (PTI Photo)