Detroit — Take down the Christmas decorations; Lent is almost here. Ash Wednesday, which begins the 40-day holy season of prayer, fasting and penance in preparation for Easter, is Feb. 18 this year.

While not a holy day of obligation, it is a day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics, who traditionally visit their parishes that day to receive ashes on the forehead — usually burned palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday — as a sign of public penance.

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron is expected to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass at 12:15 p.m. at St. Aloysius Parish in downtown Detroit.

While many parishes offer ashes in the church or sanctuary all day long, Church guidelines say ashes should not be self-imposed, but received, usually with a formula such as “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel” or “Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

While a priest or deacon is the ordinary minister for the blessing and imposition of ashes, lay Catholics may impose ashes on one another in cases where clergy is not available.

Catholics older than 18 and younger than 60 are required to fast and observe abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In fasting, individuals may eat one full meal and two smaller meals that don’t add up to a full meal. As part of abstinence, Catholics should avoid eating meat, such as chicken or beef, but may have eggs, milk products or condiments made from animal fat. Fish and shellfish may also be eaten (see The Michigan Catholic’s Lenten Dinner Directory on Page 7).

All Catholics older than 14 are expected to observe abstinence, which in addition to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday is also observed each Friday during Lent.

The Church also encourages, but does not require, Catholics who choose to do a personal form of penance or sacrifice during Lent (i.e., “giving something up”) as a means of spiritual growth.