WHAT DOES ASH WEDNESDAY MEAN?
The
Christian season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday.
The
date of Ash Wednesday varies each year according to the date of Easter. It is
always six-and-a-half weeks before Easter. The earliest possible date of Ash
Wednesday is 4 February and the latest possible date is 10 March.
What
is Ash Wednesday?
Ash
Wednesday is a Christian festival. It marks the beginning of six and a half weeks
of repentance, fasting and abstinence in preparation for the most important
Christian festival of Easter.
Why
is it called Ash Wednesday?
Ashes
are something that are left when something is burned.
For
Christians, ashes are a symbol of being sorry for things they have done wrong and
want to get rid of forever. It is also a reminder to them that we all come from
ashes, and to ashes we all will return.
Why
are ashes marked on the forehead?
For Christians, the marking on the forehead with ash marks the commitment to Jesus Christ and God. They wanted to show God that they were sorry for the wrong things they had done in the past year.
Using
a mark on the forehead as a sign of commitment is also used in many Middle
Eastern cultures where a round, coloured circle is marked on the forehead.
What
happens on Ash Wednesday today?
Many
Christians will attend a religious service where the ashes are blessed by the church
leader, and placed on their forehead.
Christians
believe this marks the physical and spiritual beginning of a personal Lent
season in which 40 days of repentance will begin leading up to the celebration of
Easter Sunday.
The
actual moment when the forehead is marked initiates the beginning of lent for
each individual person.
What
are the ashes made from?
In
churches the priest first burns the palm that have been kept from last year's Palm
Sunday and then mixes the ashes of these crosses with holy water (which has
been blessed) to make a greyish paste. When people go to church on Ash Wednesday,
the priest dips his thumb in the paste and uses it to make the sign of the
cross on each person's forehead.
Why
are last years Palm Crosses recycled?
Palm
Sunday celebrates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, so when the crosses
used in the last years Palm Sunday service are converted to ashes, worshippers
are reminded that defeat and crucifixion swiftly followed triumph.
What
do the ashes symbolise?
Using
ashes to mark the cross on the believer's forehead symbolises that through
Christ's death and resurrection, all Christians can be free from sin.
