Lebanon’s Ash Monday: A sacred start to Lent

For many people, this is just another Monday. The start of a workweek. Traffic. Emails. School drop-offs. Routine.

For others, the day begins earlier than usual, with a quiet visit to church before heading to work or class. They stand in line as a priest traces a small cross of ashes on their forehead. A blessing meant to guide the next forty days.

Observed primarily by the Maronite Church and other Eastern Catholic communities, Ash Monday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day season of fasting, repentance, and spiritual preparation leading to Easter.

It is not a public holiday. Offices remain open. Schools operate as usual. The rhythm of daily life continues.

Yet in the early hours, churches quietly fill. Children head to school with faint crosses still visible on their foreheads. Adults return to work carrying a reminder of the season they have entered.

The meaning behind the Ashes

The ritual is brief, but its symbolism is profound.

The ashes, traditionally prepared from burnt palm or olive branches blessed on the previous year’s Palm Sunday, are placed on the forehead in the shape of a cross. As this is done, the priest repeats words that have echoed through centuries:

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

The message is unmistakably Christian: we are created from dust, sustained by God’s grace, and destined to return to Him. Our lives are fragile, our days numbered, and every earthly glory fades before eternity.

Yet the ashes are not a sentence of condemnation. They are a call to repentance, to metanoia, a change of heart. They invite believers to turn back to God, to seek His mercy, and to walk the path of renewal that leads to the Resurrection.

They mark the beginning of a sacred season centered on discipline and spiritual cleansing. In the Maronite tradition, this often includes fasting from meat and dairy, abstaining from food and drink from midnight until noon, intensified prayer, acts of charity, and a conscious step away from excess and distraction.

Different calendars, one season

The presence of both Ash Monday and Ash Wednesday can cause confusion. The Roman Catholic Church, following the Latin rite, begins Lent on Wednesday. Eastern Catholic churches, including the Maronite Church, begin on Monday.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Orthodox communities follow the Byzantine liturgical calendar. They will begin Great Lent the following week marking their own solemn entry into the season.

Different dates. Different traditions. Yet across Lebanon, Christians enter the same season, fasting, repentance, and renewal. Though calendars vary, the purpose is shared: to prepare the heart for Easter and walk toward the promise of the Resurrection.