Ash Wednesday: is the name given to the first day of Lent. The name comes from the ancient practice of covering oneself with dust and ash when fasting as a sign of repentance for one's sin, although Jesus told his followers not to make visible signs but to pray in private
(Matthew, chapter 6). (Return to Top)
Many churches hold a special service on this day in which the foreheads of attendees are marked with ash in the shape of a cross as a sign of penance. The ash is usually made before the service by burning the palm crosses from the previous year
(see Palm Sunday) and mixing them with a little of the oil usually used in baptism, in order to make a black paste.
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