Shrove Tuesday
The festival of Easter begins with Shrove Tuesday which is the last Tuesday before Lent. It is celebrated by feasting. It is most commonly known in France as well as here in the U.S. as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. The day became named as such as in many countries as people stopped eating fat during Lent.
Ash Wednesday/Lent
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. In centuries past, Christians dressed up in their old clothes and rubbed ashes on their foreheads to show God that they were sorry for all the wrong things they had done in the past year. The tradition of using ashes now takes place in many Christian churches. Lent is the period of spiritual preparation for Easter which involves fasting, penance and prayer. It was originally followed by various Christian groups in intervals ranging from a few days to several weeks. It was fixed at 40 days in the 8th century C>E.
Palm Sunday
Palm
Sunday is the first day of what is called "Holy Week". It is one week before
Easter Sunday. On this day, Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on a
donkey. His followers were happy to see him. The road was lined with palm
trees. As the people saw him, they took the leaves from the trees and placed them on
the road creating a special carpet.
Good Friday
Good Friday occurs five days after Palm Sunday. On this day, many centuries ago, Jesus was crucified and died upon the cross.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday became a day
of joy when the friends of Jesus learned that Jesus rose from the dead. They went to the
cave where he had been buried and found that the huge rock which had blocked the entrance,
had been rolled away. The cave was empty.
The Cross
Christians throughout the world believe in the resurrection of Christ on Easter. The symbol of the Cross became recognized
by all who believe in Christianity as the symbol of his death and resurrection.
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