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Holiday, meet holy day, the unusual coincidence on February 14, 2018

Posted at 5:45 PM, Feb 14, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-14 19:45:50-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- For Catholics and many Protestants, Valentine's Day played second fiddle on February 14, 2018, because for the first time in 70 years it was also Ash Wednesday.

The holy day marks the beginning of the Lenten season...the forty days leading up to Holy Week.

It's a time for intentional sacrifice as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice Christians believe Jesus made on the cross, and a time of deprivation leading to the ultimate celebration of Easter.

It's also a day when a lot of Christians feel conspicuous, because they get a big black cross on their foreheads, as you'll see in the story above.