Today, millions of Christians around the world will celebrate Ash Wednesday to mark the start of the Lenten season. You’ll probably notice a lot of worshippers’ foreheads marked with ashes in the shape of a cross today.
Ash Wednesday is usually most closely associated with Catholicism, but there are many Christian sects that recognize it — including Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and even some Baptists. Some denominations that don’t take part is Ash Wednesday celebrations include Mormons, Evangelicals, and Pentecostal Christians.
The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are meant to represent dust. When receiving ashes on their forehead, parishioners hear the words: ”Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This is a reference to what God says to Adam when exiling him from the Garden of Eden. (In the Christian Bible, Adam is literally formed from dust.) The saying is a reminder to be humble in the face of mortality.
Today marks the first day of the 40 days of Lent, a roughly 6-week period (not including Sundays) dedicated to prayer, fasting and almsgiving in preparation for Easter.
Ash Wednesday ashes come from palms that were burned from the previous Palm Sunday — the Sunday before Easter. There is no rule about how long the ashes should be worn, but many people wear them throughout the day as a public expression of their faith.
Catholics ages 18 to 59 fast on Ash Wednesday — fasting entails eating one regular-size meal and two small meals. Catholics also abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent.
Ash Wednesday is never mentioned in the Bible, but there is a verse in the Book of Daniel that links fasting to ashes — some scholars believe this is the origin of our Lenten practice today. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but in Iceland, the first day of lent, called Öskudagur, is similar to our Halloween. Kids dress up in costumes and tour their neighborhoods singing songs in exchange for candy.
And I guess it’s a “sign of the times,” but some parishes have started “ashes to go” programs on Ash Wednesday. Priests station themselves in public places, like street corners, parking lots or public transit stops and administer blessed ashes to whoever asks to receive them.
So let the countdown to Easter begin…..