What and When is Ash Wednesday?
Posted: Monday, March 07, 2011
by Lorrie Davids
Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and fasting over sins celebrated mostly by those within the Catholic religion. The date changes each year, occurring 40 days before Easter not including Sundays. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent.
Ash Wednesday is a low holiday with services held in churches within denominations which observe the day. At the services the sins of the people are renounced following the Biblical tradition of tossing ashes over one's head to show repentance and mourning. The priest or minister applies a cross symbol to his/her own forehead, then places the cross symbol on the foreheads of those in attendance. The ashes are mixed with oil (usually) and are traditionally not washed off, but worn until the symbol wears off.
At the service, the mourners are reminded of their mortality as stated in Genesis 3:19 and encouraged to turn from sin and be faithful to the Good News, the Gospel, Mark 1:15.
The book of Ezekiel, chapter 9 in the Old Testament of the Bible tells of the practice, though in that instance, those without the mark on the forehead were destroyed. Showing mourning and repentance with ashes is mentioned in 2 Sam 13:19, Esther 4:1, Job 2:8, Daniel 9:3 and Matthew 11:21.
In Ireland Ash Wednesday was also National No Smoking Day as the habit was often given up for Lent. No Smoking Day is now a fixed observance on the second Wednesday in March.
Ash Wednesday is a low holiday with services held in churches within denominations which observe the day. At the services the sins of the people are renounced following the Biblical tradition of tossing ashes over one's head to show repentance and mourning. The priest or minister applies a cross symbol to his/her own forehead, then places the cross symbol on the foreheads of those in attendance. The ashes are mixed with oil (usually) and are traditionally not washed off, but worn until the symbol wears off.
The book of Ezekiel, chapter 9 in the Old Testament of the Bible tells of the practice, though in that instance, those without the mark on the forehead were destroyed. Showing mourning and repentance with ashes is mentioned in 2 Sam 13:19, Esther 4:1, Job 2:8, Daniel 9:3 and Matthew 11:21.
In Ireland Ash Wednesday was also National No Smoking Day as the habit was often given up for Lent. No Smoking Day is now a fixed observance on the second Wednesday in March.
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Top-level comments on this article: (9 total)Thanks Lorrie. This reminds me of the first time I became physically aware of Ash Wednesday. I had of course, heard of it as a child but being from a religiously restrictive Protestant background, I'd never actually encountered it publicly. The first time Bruce and I visited our new hometown of San Antonio, TX in 1987 unbeknownst to us, it was Ash Wednesday. We actually thought the town must be full of Hindus, who else put dots in the middle of their foreheads?? It took us at least half the day to make the connection between the large number of Catholics in San Antonio and Ash Wednesday! Every year on Ash Wednesday, we laugh again about our ignorance.Thanks for reading and commenting, Jean. I am from a Protestant background also and knew very little about it. Many years ago, Danny worked IT in a hospital run by the Sisters of Charity in Colorado Springs. Every year all the nuns at the hospital would show up with a smudge on their foreheads. Each year it took seeing a few before he realized what day it was. I never made the connection with sackcloth and ashes and Ash Wednesday until I researched this article. It's always good to learn!
I was raised catholic, we would always receive the observance of ash Wednesday every year.David, thanks for reading and commenting. Do you still observe the day?No Lorrie, I don't go to church anymore, I do still believe in God but I don't go along with all my religious teachings as much as I did growing up.
I find the connection between Ash Wednesday & No Smoking Day quite interesting. I can see how not ashing cigarettes not just for one day but for 40 days could help a person kick the ashy habit. Thanks, Lorrie, for this educational article. ~mogama~Yeah, Mogama, I was surprised to learn of No Smoking Day at first, but why not? Thanks for taking the time to read and leave a comment!
Hi Lorrie. What a great explanation. Thanks for sharing. So many are curious about Ash Wednesday. Blessings to you! Hugs, TThanks, T. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I had no clue of the history of the observance. Now, a little more.
Thanks for the explanation, Lorrie. I didn't know Ireland had a no smoking day! Good for them!I know, Jennifer - you learn something new every day! Thanks for reading and commenting.
A little short for such a historical topic, but it was nonetheless informative and a good read. I just wonder what the fate of Christian holidays are in the future. Maybe that can be your next article?Thanks for reading and commenting, Jerry. Good idea, Jerry. Go ahead and write it!
Talk about denominations and church traditions. No one can authoritatively say that these things are taught in the Bible and yet people practices them. The Bible teaches us salvation through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, that it is only through the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the grave that we are accepted into fellowship with God. That is the only way to salvation not these thingsChris, I agree with you about the only way to salvation. It is found in Jesus Christ and none other. Thanks for reading and commenting.
You are welcome. I learned things I never knew before. Thanks for reading and commenting, Shari. I appreciate it.
Thank you for writing another great article - and clarifying Ash Wednesday a bit. We always wore our ash cross all day until it was washed off in the evening before bed.Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, Heidi. I learned a lot writing this one.
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