(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Reverend Christopher P. Gray, dispenses ashes, on the forehead of Brenda Gonzales, during the Ash Wednesday Mass, at the Cathedral of The Madeleine, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.
Many Utahns marked two holidays Wednesday, each with different traditions and purposes.
Valentine’s Day, for instance, is all about romance. Ash Wednesday is about repentance. But both days, at their heart, center on love.
Valentine’s Day adherents, for instance, honor the loved ones in their lives, often sharing gifts and cards.
For Ash Wednesday, many Christians honor their love for their Lord through prayer, fasting, self-denial and vows to be better people.
Ash Wednesday also marks — quite literally — the start of Christianity’s holiest season as priests put marks of the cross on the foreheads of worshippers.
It falls on the seventh Wednesday before Easter and kicks off Lent.