Ember is also an abbreviation of the German Quatember, which in turn is a corruption of the Latin Quatuor Tempora, or 'Four Seasons.' Another theory is that the name came from the early practice of sprinkling ashes on the head on fast days as a token of humility, and from the custom of eating only cakes baked upon embers, known as 'emberbread.' Why were they called the Ember Days? The word ember appears to have derived from the Anglo-Saxon ymbren, meaning 'course' or 'circuit,' since the Ember Days marked the four quarters of the year and thus described the revolution of time. The custom of setting aside these four periods of time for prayer and fasting eventually spread to other parts of Italy and from there to Spain, France, Germany, and elsewhere. It was Pope Gregory VII who decided in 1095 that the Ember Days would be celebrated on the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of the weeks following the first Sunday in LENT, Whitsunday or PENTECOST, the Feast of the EXALTA TION OF THE CROSS (September 14), and ST. The only thing that had not been set was the exact dates. The change seems to have been motivated by the mention of four fasting periods in the Old Testament (in the Book of Zechariah), and by the fact that the year contains four natural seasons.īy the early sixth century, the celebration of the so-called Ember Days was well established, at least in Rome. It was Pope Callistus I in the third century who first issued regulations concerning this celebration of the 'Three Seasons.' A fourth period of prayer, occurring in March, was added not long after, probably in the fourth century. The early Christians decided to introduce their own seasonal prayer festivals, which roughly coincided with the dates of the earlier pagan festivals but involved FASTING rather than feasting. When Christianity came to Rome, these pagan festivals fell out of favor, but the idea of praying for God's blessing at the beginning of the various agricultural seasons persisted.

They held a Feast of Sowing ( Feriae Sementivae) between mid-November and the WIN TER SOLSTICE, a Harvest Feast ( Feriae Messis) in June or July for the grain harvest, and a Feast of Wine ( Vinalia) in September before the AUTUMN EQUINOX. They were both pagans and farmers, and they wanted to make sure that the gods looked favorably upon them at certain crucial times of the year.

Methods of biblical interpretation vary among the different Christian sects.Įmber Days didn't start out as a Christian event instead, it was created by the early Romans. All three main branches of Christianity acknowledge the authority of Christian scriptures, a compilation of writings assembled into a document called the Bible. The Roman Catholic and Protestant churches are often referred to as the Western Church, while the Orthodox churches may also be called the Eastern Church. Protestant communities focus on individual conscience. Orthodox communities look to patriarchs and emphasize doctrinal agreement and traditional practice. The pope (the bishop of Rome) is the authority for the Roman Catholic Church, but other sects look to other authorities. There is no one central authority for all of Christianity. With nearly two billion believers in countries around the globe, Christianity is the largest of the world's religions. In remembrance of Jesus' death and resurrection, the cross serves as a fundamental symbol in Christianity. His death and resurrection provide a way by which people can be reconciled with God. According to Christian teaching, Jesus was killed by Roman authorities using a form of execution called crucifixion (a term meaning he was nailed to a cross and hung from it until he died) in about the year 30 C. The Christ of Christianity is Jesus of Nazareth, a man born between 7 and 4 B. The word Christian refers to a follower of Christ, a title derived from the Greek word meaning Messiah or Anointed One. Lucy's DayĮmber Days is a Christian religious festival celebrated in the Western Church. Related Holidays: Ash Wednesday, Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Pentecost (Whitsunday), Rogation Days, St. Symbols and Customs: Fasting, Ordination of Priests Where Celebrated: England, France, Germany, Spain, United States, and by Christians all over the West not observed in the Eastern Church

Date of Observation: Four times a year, in March, May/June, September, and December

Ember days vs fast days