Ash Wednesday “Miercoles de Ceniza”

First I want to say that even though my family is not Catholic I was raised and surrounded with many that were. For that reason Ash Wednesday is something that I respect and is still taken very seriously in my church.

Furthermore, Colombia is primarily a Catholic nation. Like Christmas and Easter Ash Wednesday is seen as a very important religious observing that marks the beginning of a period known as Lent. Lent is a 40 day period of fasting and prayer which leads up to Easter. On Ash Wednesday many flock the streets to their local parish were they receive a black cross made out of ashes. The surprising thing is the great amount of people you see with the cross is something that is not as common in the United States.