Shrove Tuesday is the day before the beginning of Lent (in 2012, February 22). To shrive someone, an old English term, is to hear his acknowledgement of his sins, to assure him of God's forgiveness, and to give him appropriate spiritual advice. The term survives today in ordinary usage in the expression "short shrift". To give someone short shrift is to pay very little attention to his excuses or problems.
On Shrove Tuesday, many Christians make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with. Often they consult on these matters with a member of the clergy, or receive shrift.
Shrove Tuesday is also called Fat Tuesday (in French, Mardi = Tuesday; gras = fat, as in "pate de foie gras", which is liver paste and very fatty), because on that day thrifty individuals use up the fats, and butter that they have kept around (the can of bacon drippings, etc.) for cooking, but that they will not be using during Lent since these items have traditionally been forbidden during Lent. Since pancakes are a standard way of using up fat, the day is also called Pancake Tuesday.
Ash Wednesday (in 2012, February 22) marks the first day, or the start of the season of Lent, which begins 40 days prior to Easter (Sundays are not included in the count). During some Ash Wednesday services, worshippers will receive the sign of the cross made from ashes on their foreheads.
Palm Sunday (in 2012, April 1)is the sixth and last Sunday of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. The feast commemorates an event witnessed by all four Gospels: the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion.
Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The gospels record the arrival of Jesus riding into the city on a donkey, while the crowds spread their cloaks and palm branches on the street and shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" to honor him as their long-awaited Messiah and King.
Maundy Thursday (also "Holy Thursday") commemorates Christ's Last Supper with His Apostles and the initiation of the Eurcharist (Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper). Its name of "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "command". This comes from Christ's words in John 13:34: "A new commandment I give unto you, that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another."
The Last Supper took place in "the upper room" of the house believed to have been owned by John Mark and his mother Mary (Acts 12:12). This room is also the site of the Pentecost. At the site of this place--the first Christian church--a basilica was built in the 4th century. It was destroyed by Muslims and later rebuilt by the Crusaders. Underneath the place is the tomb of David.
Lent is a time when Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation, and spiritual discipline. Lent is not primarily about the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Lent is primarily about identifying with and accompanying those who are being driven by the Spirit to make the wilderness journey--toward baptism, toward reconciliation, or toward vocation.
Advent, the beginning of the church year, starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. It is a time of preparation, anticipation, and hope. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the "Light of the World." Epiphany on January 3, also called "Three Kings Day," is the climax of the Christmas season for Protestants.
Hanging of the Green is performed in preparation for Christ's coming. It includes hanging greenery throughout the church such as cedar for royalty, fir and pine boughs for everlasting life, holly symbolizing Jesus' death, and ivy representing the resurrection. Hanging of the Greens takes place on the first day of Advent each year.
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