Song of the Day - 5th March
Today's Song of the Day is to celebrate Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, the six weeks of penitence before Easter. Many Christians attend special Ash Wednesday church services at which churchgoers receive ash on their foreheads or the top of their heads, as the wearing of ashes was a sign of repentance in biblical times. The ashes are prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebrations. The poem I have chosen to set for today's song is simply called "Ash Wednesday" by Canadian poet Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon (1829 - 1879). This poem is written in the context of the tradition of Christianity, particularly during Lent, and the narrator observes the transition from the indulgence of the Shrove Tuesday Carnival to the austerity of Ash Wednesday, a time of penance and reflection. The poem conveys the message of the importance of repentance and the promise ...