Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent or La Quaresima in Italian. Lent is the word Catholics use to describe the fast and spiritual preparation before Easter. The 40 days of Lent commemorate when Jesus Christ fasted in the desert and endured temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, before beginning his public ministry. With Catholics making up a majority of Italy there is no doubt it’s the holiest time of the year.
In Italy, the blessed ashes are administered by sprinkling them on the crown of the head, rather than by marking the forehead with a cross, which is generally done in the United States. Sprinkling ashes on the crown of the head calls to mind the biblical method of putting on sackcloth and ashes as a sign of penance. The American way of putting ashes on the forehead, usually in the sign of the cross, allows the ashes to be visible to others so that the nature of the day might be more visible.
The Pope presides at an Ash Wednesday service at a different Roman church every year. This year Pope Francis will hold the Lenten Station Penitential Procession at the Church of Sant’Anselmo and the Holy Mass and Blessing And Imposition of the Ashes at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome.
Although Italy is a strictly Catholic country, where most Catholic holidays are also National holidays, fasting during Lent is no longer a strict requirement but a personal endeavor. It is still common practice to give up meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays of Lent. This is still a popular tradition with fish becoming the main protein during this period.
There is an urban legend that fish was eventually “allowed” by the Church to boost the Italian fishing industries. There is no evidence to support the claim. Italy, despite being a peninsula, does not have a large fishing industry. The sea currents make fishing very seasonal. The reason was more likely due to the role of fishes and fishermen played in the Gospel stories of Jesus.
Given that most of Italy was still in winter during the Lenten season, vegetable choices were also not in abundance. The prohibition of meat, and dairy and the scarcity of vegetables suited the penance sought by Catholics during their holiest period. Today, many Catholics in Italy will abstain from meat on Fridays in honor of this tradition. That is not much of a burden in modern times with many vegetarian dishes available.
Arianna DiCicco
Arianna DiCicco is an educator and writer from California, born into an Italian American restaurant family with strong ties to her grandparents’ home in Abruzzo, Italy. She has lived in San Francisco, Rome and New York City where she’s made deep connections within the Italian communities and gained new perspectives about her own culture. With a Masters in International Education, Arianna has a love and passion for learning and educating others about Italian history & culture.