February 26, 2005
Ember Days
Four times a year at about the time of the change of season, Christians fasted and did penance on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – the Ember Days. (The word “ember” is an abbreviation from a Latin expression meaning “four times a year.”
Toward the end of the first millennium the dates for Ember Days were fixed as the week of Ash Wednesday (springtime), the week following Pentecost (summer), the week following the feast of the Holy Cross on September 14 (fall), and the week following the feast of St. Lucy on December 13 (winter). An old saying to remember these was “crux, lux, fire, ashes” -- Cross (Feast of the Holy Cross), Light (Lucy’s Lights” were the meteors in December), Fire (Pentecost) and Ashes (Ash Wednesday.)
Some say this practice was based on ancient practices of good health – periodically cleaning out the body by fasting.
Ember Days ceased to be part of Church law in 1966, when Pope Paul VI promulgated the changes in the penitential practices of the Church.
Ember Days, that's an interesting concept. About fasting, many health professionals are encouraging people to fast to cleanse out their system. Many religious denominations encourage fasting and prayer among their members to bring worshippers closer to God.