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It's Ash Wednesday! I don't even know what that means. My family was so not-god-fearing, and it's left me with a lack of knowledge about mainstream religious traditions. But I should get bonus points for knowing what Ramadan is.
Anyway, HAPPY ASH WEDNESDAY to those that observe it in some way. Wait, is "happy" the right modifier? Should I be wishing people an "introspective" Ash Wednesday, or maybe a "solemn" Ash Wednesday? Does Blue Mountain have e-cards for this holiday?
Why am I so amused that the New York Times' review of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" references The Simpsons? At the beginning AND the end. I just find that precious for some reason.
November can't get here soon enough. I just really wish that Ralph Nader has stayed out of things.
Posted by Highwaygirl on February 25, 2004 09:37 AM to the category Political Rants | RandomnessThis explains it better than I ever could --
Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent in the Western Christian liturgical year. Lent is a season of spiritual discipline, cleansing, and fasting which occurs in the forty days (excluding Sundays which are not considered part of Lent) before Easter.
On Ash Wednesday, a priest or pastor marks a cross on the forehead of parishoners. The ashes are obtained from the burned palms used in the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration. This ritual is blessed with a passage from Genesis 3:19: "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." The ashes symbolize repentance and purification.
And forty days is of course the amount of time it took for Jesus to defeat the Volcano Monster and cast him down into the the Tunnels of Everlasting Rain.
Posted by: overg at February 25, 2004 11:27 AMAs a kid, I always thought of Ash Wednesday as "Smudge Day" because all the Catholics had dirty foreheads.
As a recovering Catholic, I don't partake.
Posted by: Phildozer at February 25, 2004 01:02 PMSo does that mean that when you "give up" something for Lent, you're allowed to still have it on Sundays? That's kind of a cop out.
Posted by: Highwaygirl at February 25, 2004 02:35 PMI can do you one better, Phildozer. While I was at Notre Dame, I made a habit out of going up to Catholics on Ash Wednesday, licking my thumb, and saying, "come here, you've got something on your forehead, let me get it for you." They didn't seem to like that very much. Sheeze. Try to be helpful around some religions and they damn near rip your arm off.
*goes to buy Jesus action figure with kung-fu grip to celebrate holiday*
Posted by: overg at February 25, 2004 02:39 PMNope, when you give up something you give it up. Sundays included. The whole "not Sunday" part means that church on Sunday is still celebrative and not all depressing (like it used to be in the old days when Lent was a downer every day of the week, not six out of seven) ~~GreenTuna
Posted by: GreenTuna at February 25, 2004 03:21 PMOverg,
First problem is going to Notre Dame. ; )
As a American Buddhist, I just kick back and enjoy the show.
Either way, Happy Smudge Day!
Posted by: Phildozer at February 25, 2004 03:41 PMOf course Jesus loves us; illogically so.
Do we love Him? Guess the answer is mixed.
See...for a long time I thought they burned Christ at the stake because he was a witch, and that's what the ashes symbolized, kinda like the body and blood at communion.
"Recovering Catholic" I like that...I'm a Recovering Lutheran. We should have meetings.
And you so don't even want to get me started on the amendment. The fuck? I don't care if you don't agree with same-sex marriages. Be a small-minded priq if you want to be, but to amend the freaking Constitution to limit the rights of a group of citezens? That can't be legal. I find it really interesting that after a 2/3 house and senate vote, there need to be 38 states to ratify. And exactly how many states have laws on the books prohibiting same-sex unions? Yeah...38, mine included.
Can we have a write-in drive for Highwaygirl in November? With Overg as her VP, Tuna as the press secretary, raptor ambassador to Canada and me as the president's body man? *nudge nudge lick*
Posted by: Tsy at February 26, 2004 02:58 AMI'm too smart to even want to be President.
Posted by: Highwaygirl at February 26, 2004 06:34 AMOK...but what about the body man part?
Posted by: Tsy at February 26, 2004 01:42 PM