Ash Wednesday, sometimes called the Day of Ashes, is the first day of Lent. It is traditionally observed by Western Christians such as Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, as well as those from the Reformed tradition. 

Lent itself is 40 days long excluding Sundays, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday. During the Lenten season, Christians often give something up in preparation for Easter. In the past, participants would fast and practice abstinence, although nowadays people may just give up something like watching television or eating chocolate. This time is to be filled in with prayer and reflection instead and is meant to represent Jesus’s 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. This is more commonly practiced by Protestants. 

On Ash Wednesday, ashes are ceremonially placed on the heads of Christians either by sprinkling or marked on the forehead as a cross. During this tradition, the words “remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” are spoken. The service is solemn with periods of long silence. Worshippers will often leave in silence. 

The ashes themselves come from burning palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday, which is where palm branches are handed out to the congregation to represent Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem. The ashes are mixed with oil to allow them to be spread. 

In Catholic practice, Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence. Only one full meal is allowed and no meat can be consumed. Good Friday, which marks the date of Jesus’s crucifixion, is the other day of obligatory fasting. 

The ashes represent sacramental penance and are meant to help develop humility and sacrifice. They push the idea of human mortality, but also show God’s mercy and grace. 

Categories: Life