Ember Days

So what are exactly are the Ember Days? And what should we do about them? The Book of Common Prayer lists three collects for Ember Days (see pages 205-206), but it doesn't say much about what they are. I got interested, so I checked my Episcopalian Dictionary and learned that Ember Days are four sets of three days (always a Wednesday, a Friday, and a Saturday) that were once "set aside for fasting and spiritual renewal." Seminarians traditionally use Ember Days to write letters to their bishops, describing their spiritual journeys as they are unfolding so far. Wikipedia offers a great historical treatment of the subject, and they take sides in what seems like a fierce debate about the etymology of the term. They argue that "Ember" comes from an Anglo-Saxon word for revolution, in the context of revolving seasons. The Roman Catholic Church insists it is a corruption of the Latin quatuor tempora, or four seasons.

At mass this morning, the priest and the deacon said they were both familiar with the tradition of Ember Day letters, but they didn't have a whole lot of suggestions about what lay people are supposed to do. (Write to the bishop? Ahem, probably not.)

I have been really loving the idea of liturgical cycles, and for this reason I feel drawn to the Ember Day tradition. One set of three days at the beginning of each season, for spiritual renewal, seems like a great way to ground the rest of the year. Our next set, or our upcoming autumnal Embertide, if you will, begins on the 20th of September. Between now and then I'll try think of some sensible way to mark the days.