You’re walking through a grocery store and see someone with a cross drawn onto their forehead. Do you know what it means?

   As we count down the days left in February and close in on March, you just may hear people preparing for and talking about Ash Wednesday, otherwise known as the start of Lent. This year’s Ash Wednesday falls on March 2. According to Britannica, Ash Wednesday is celebrated by the Christian Church and is often associated with fasting and ashes (britannica.com).

   Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, which is meant to commemorate and imitate Jesus’ fasting as he went on to his public ministry. Lent is observed starting Ash Wednesday and lasting for six and a half weeks, ending the week before Easter. According to the BBC, Easter and Lent are associated because Lent recalls the events leading up to (and including) Jesus’ crucifixion, while Easter celebrates his resurrection (bbc.co.uk).

   On Ash Wednesday, participants from many churches are required to fast. This means that they are only allowed one full meal and two smaller meals that do not add up to that of the full meal. You may believe it’s not too complicated, but the point of fasting is less about the challenge and more about the commitment (learnreligions.com).

   On Ash Wednesday and during Lent, the rules for participating vary slightly per church but generally have some commonalities. Most churches require two main things: That participants fast on Ash Wednesday, only eating one full meal and two smaller meals; And that participants are not allowed to eat meat until Easter, except on Sundays (learnreligions.com).

   Along with giving up meat and fasting, some Christians also decide to give up certain things they enjoy. While some decide to give up foods such as sweets or fast food, others decide to give up habits such as playing a lot of video games or spending too much time on social media. According to the BBC, the point of giving something up is to help build discipline and to imitate Jesus’ sacrifice (bbc.co.uk).

      Senior Luis Castro used to participate in these holidays. According to Castro, the hardest part about celebrating Lent was giving up meat. He said, “Giving it up was super difficult for me. I had to do this when I was younger, and avoiding meat while in school and when eating out was tough. It was especially hard when people would eat meat around me.”

   Although not everyone may celebrate Ash Wednesday, it is courteous to stay respectful of all religions and practices regardless of your personal beliefs.