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Many Christians around the world celebrate Ash Wednesday, which marks the first day of Lent. It is the start of a religious period that leads up to Palm Sunday and the Easter holidays. On Ash Wednesday, people traditionally start fasting for 40 days, eating only simple food. The 40 days is because Jesus fasted in thewilderness for a similar period of time. Roman Catholics should only eat one full meal and two smaller ones during this time. Many Catholics will fast completely on Ash Wednesday or just have bread and water. It is one of only two days in the Catholic calendar when fasting is required. The other day is Good Friday. Ash Wednesday falls between February the 4th and March the 10th each year, depending on the date of Easter.
全球许多基督徒都庆祝圣灰星期三，这天也是大斋日的首日。圣灰星期三也预示着一系列宗教节日的开始，之后还会有圣枝主日以及复活节。从传统意义上来讲，人们将会在这天开始进行为期40天的大斋，并只食用简单的食物。持续40天是因为耶稣也在相同的时间段在荒野中进行了40天的斋戒。罗马天主教教徒在这期间只食用一顿全餐和两小餐。许多天主教教徒会在圣灰星期三完全斋戒，或者是只食用面包和水。这是天主教中需要进行斋戒的两天之中的一天。另外一天是耶稣受难日。每年圣灰星期三的举办日期为2月4日到3月18日，日期要取决于复活节的日期。
It is called Ash Wednesday because priests draw a small cross on the foreheads of people in church. The cross is a sign that you have regretted your sins and want to cleanse your soul. It is tradition to keep thecross on one’s forehead until the sun sets. In other churches, people write their sins on a small piece of paper, which is then burnt and turned into ash. In Biblical times, people covered themselves in ash to express their sorrow for their sins. Priests say a prayer to show we are all mortal and will return to ashes after we die. A traditional prayer is: “God our Father, you create us from the dust of the earth. Grantthat these ashes may be for us a sign of our sins, and a symbol of our mortality.”
之所以叫做圣灰星期三的原因是，在这一天中，神父会在教堂中向人们的额头画十字。十字就代表着你对自己所犯下的罪行而悔过，并希望能够净化自己的灵魂。按照传统，人们额头上的十字会一直保留到日出之后。在其他教堂，人们会将自己的过错写在纸上，之后将其烧毁。在圣经时代，人们会用灰涂抹自己的身体，来表达对所犯过错的忏悔。牧师称人类皆凡人，死后将化作骨灰。传统的信奉者是：“上帝，我们的神父，你用大地创造了我们。圣灰代表着我们罪行，也是不生不灭的象征。”
译文属可可英语原创，未经允许，不得转载。
