What Is 'Ash Wednesday' and Why Is It Celebrated?
There's a day that comes around each year when you might see people walking around with black marks on their foreheads—it's a day known as Ash Wednesday. But what's the point of those marks? Why exactly is this day celebrated?
We'll go over the history of Ash Wednesday in the Christian church, answer whether or not it's just a Catholic observance and if the Bible references this type of day, and fill you in on the date of Ash Wednesday 2024.
Plus, find out more about how food plays a role in the observance of Ash Wednesday, as well as how this date is related to Fat Tuesday, AKA Mardi Gras, as well as its connection to the Easter holiday.
Related: 'Instead of Giving Something Up for Lent, Here's What I'm Adding to My Plate'
What Is Ash Wednesday?
Lent, a season of penance that includes prayer, fasting and almsgiving, begins with Ash Wednesday—a holy day of prayer and fasting. Traditionally, "lent" referred to the lengthening of the days during springtime. It comes from the English noun, "lenten," meaning "the season of spring."
Ash Wednesday is officially recognized as the "Day of Ashes," signifying the practice of rubbing ashes on one's forehead in the sign of a cross. This phrase is found in Roman Missals (Dies Cinerum in Latin) and appears in copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary from early centuries.
The ashes used for Ash Wednesday are the burnt remains of the palm branches used the previous year on Palm Sunday. Each year, these branches are burned down into a fine powder, often mixed with holy water or chrism oil to create a paste. This day reminds humankind of its mortality, and our need for right standing with God.
When Is Ash Wednesday in 2024?
This year, Ash Wednesday falls on February 14, 2024. Ash Wednesday is always 40 days before Easter. It's technically 46 days before Easter, if you include Sundays, but Sundays are traditionally considered feast days, a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, thus they are not included in the penitential season.
The forty days of Lent point to Jesus Christ’s 40-day fast, and temptation, in the wilderness after being baptized.
Related: When Is Lent 2024? Everything You Need To Know About This Period of Preparation for Easter
What Is the Significance of Ashes on Your Forehead?
Anyone can receive ashes. When a priest administers the ashes, he often says something similar to this: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." While this exact phrase is not used in the Bible, the idea is referenced in a number of places.
"Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Genesis 2:7 (NRSV)
"By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Genesis 3:19
"Abraham answered, 'Let me take it upon myself to speak to my lord, I who am but dust and ashes.'" Genesis 18:27
"All go to one place, all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again." Ecclesiastes 3:20
Related: 75 Best Lent Quotes and Sayings for 2024
What Is the History of Ash Wednesday?
The placement of ashes on the heads of Christians observing Lent goes back to at least the 10th century. Specifically marking the forehead with the sign of the cross is a more recent custom, in imitation of the spiritual mark or seal a Christian receives in baptism.
Scholars believe the use of ashes in public acts of penance happened well before the broader idea of Ash Wednesday. According to the St. Gregory Orthodox Church website, in the 6th century, "Those who had been excommunicated for serious sins would stand at the doors of the church dressed in sackcloth and be sprinkled with ashes as penitential psalms were sung. The doors were then shut and the penitents were not received back into the church until Maundy Thursday." This practice of administering ashes was gradually extended to all Christians.
Orthodox churches, and other Eastern Christians, have never observed this rite. Their Lenten season begins with Forgiveness Sunday, including an evening service called "forgiveness vespers."
Related: Drawing a Blank? We’ve Got You Covered! 30 Things To Give Up for Lent This Year
What Are You Supposed To Eat on Ash Wednesday?
Since this day is considered the beginning of Lent, Catholics aged 14 and older are instructed to not eat meat on this day, or the remaining Fridays during the Lenten season.
Among the various Christian traditions, all adults observing Ash Wednesday should conduct some form of fasting (defined as consuming only one full meal, plus two smaller meals that together don’t add up to a full meal) on this day. The rules of fasting can vary among Christian traditions.
Related: 17 Best Pancake Recipes for Fat Tuesday
Fat Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Pączki Day or Mardi Gras in French) is the traditional name for the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. This is last day that observing Christians can eat fatty foods or meat (fish excluded) until Easter Sunday. It's generally a time of merrymaking, including the consumption of sweet treats, such as beignets, pancakes or pączki (a Polish filled donut).
Related: 75 Mardi Gras Facts That Will Help You Bring Meaning to the Fun Fat Tuesday Festivities
Is Ash Wednesday Only a Catholic Thing?
In addition to Catholic tradition, a number of other Protestants participate in the observance of Ash Wednesday. For Catholics, this is not actually a day of obligation, but parishioners are highly encouraged to attend. Ash Wednesday, along with the liturgical calendar seasons of Lent and Advent, continues to grow in popularity among the various church traditions.
In fact, another phrase commonly associated with Ash Wednesday, "ashes to ashes and dust to dust," comes from the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer. It's found in the order of service for graveside funeral services:
"Unto Almighty God we commend the soul of our brother departed, and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection unto eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose coming in glorious majesty to judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like unto his own glorious body; according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself."
Related: Be a Beacon of Hope and Joy by Internalizing These 50 Prayers for Peace
Is Ash Wednesday in the Bible?
As previously stated, while the holy day itself is not mentioned in scripture, dust and ashes represented the ideas of humility and penance in ancient Israel. After the biblical character, Job, encountered many types of suffering, we read that he "took a potsherd with which to scrape himself and sat among the ashes" (Job 2:8).
Further, covering oneself in dust and ashes was connected with fasting: "Then I turned to the Lord God to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes" (Daniel 9:3).
