Christians around the world are commemorating the beginning of lent today on Ash Wednesday.
Lent is a 40-day period leading up to Easter.
The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer and reflection, fasting, repentance of sins and abstinence.
It is during lent that Christians are required to give up something they enjoy such as drinking grog and alcohol and smoking for the next 40 days till Easter.
Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of followers as a sign of repentance.
The ashes used are typically gathered after the Palm crosses from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are burned.
