Catholic Customs

Vlasova Alexandra

Form 10 «A»

2012

How are oil and holy water symbolic? 

Holy water reminds catholics the cleansing power of God’s love and forgiveness. Oil used in the sacraments has always been seen as a means and a symbol of healing the body and spirit. Candles or votive lights are burned as a symbol of their own wish to give ourselves to God. When people leave flowers at a graveside or decorate the grave on an anniversary, it is not merely decoration. Those flowers represent individuals' leaving something of themselves by the resting places of their loved ones. 

One Last Celebration

The day before Ash Wednesday, February 12 this year, many people will celebrate the "feast before the fast" with Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday"), as we know it today, actually comes from the tradition called Shrovetide. Shrovetide was the final celebration before Lent. During Lent, people would typically wear dark clothing, abstain from meat and rich foods, and avoid celebrations. Therefore, Shrove Tuesday—the day before Lent—provided people with an opportunity to engage in one last celebration, wear colorful costumes and decorations, and use up the rich foods in their homes.In many parts of the world, Shrove Tuesday is still referred to as Pancake Day. In an attempt to use up rich foods, people feast on items such as pancakes, sausages, bacon or other scraps of meat.Another tradition of Mardi Gras is the King Cake, a circular-shaped pastry decorated with icing and colored sugar. The colors of the sugar—which are also the colors of Mardi Gras—are purple, green and gold. The colors, in order, signify justice, faith and power.A small plastic baby is inserted inside the cake. Whoever gets the baby in his or her piece is said to have good luck for the next year—and must also supply next year's cake! 

Ashes

Ash Wednesday liturgies are some of the best attended in the entire year. Ashes are an ancient symbol of repentance (sackcloth and ashes). They also remind catholics of their mortality ("remember that you are dust") and thus of the day when we will stand before God and be judged. To prepare well for the day they die, catholics must die now to sin and rise to new life in Christ. Being marked with ashes at the beginning of Lent indicates our recognition of the need for deeper conversion of their lives during this season of renewal.

Blessed palms

As catholics near the end of Lent, they celebrate Passion (Palm) Sunday. At the beginning of the liturgy, they receive palms in memory of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As a symbol of triumph, the palms point us toward Christ's resurrection and might remind them of the saints in heaven "wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands».