MovieChat Forums > Around the Horn (2002) Discussion > Is Tony Reali wearing a cross on his hea...

Is Tony Reali wearing a cross on his head?


I know he is Catholic and today is the first day of Lent, but I have never heard of this. Is this common?

reply

It is more common in some parts of the world than others. I have only seen it done two or three times. The first day of Lent is called Ash Wednesday and it starts the 40 days of Lent which is a time for people to remember what Jesus went through to save them from their sins. Lent ends with Good Friday - the day Christ died on the cross outside the walls of Jerusalem.
In several places in the Bible ashes were used to show the complete despair or sorrow a person was experiencing. A person who was facing extreme sorrow would put on clothing made of very poor material (called sackcloth) and place ashes over his head. The ashes had cooled off, there was no burning. Over the years, it became a custom to make the sign of the cross on your forehead on Ash Wednesday using ashes. I do not know if the ashes came from burning a certain type of wood or cloth or anything.
I hope this helps.

reply