In the Western Church, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day fast that precedes Easter. The Orthodox Church begins fasting on the preceding Sunday. The name Ash Wednesday comes from the tradition of sprinkling ashes, as a sign of penitence and repentance, over the heads of people to mark the beginning of Lent.
In Finland, too, early in the Middle Ages the day was called Ash Wednesday and then the Day of Ash and Sackcloth (dies cineris, dies cinerum et cilicii). Later, the name was forgotten, but in recent decades it has come back into use in the Evangelical-Lutheran Church.
