Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. The official name of this day is "Day of Ashes". The name comes from the practice of rubbing ashes on one's forehead in the sign of a cross. Ash Wednesday occurs 30 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter Sunday.
Ash Wednesday does not commence Lent and is not recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church but rather consider the first day of lent to be "Clean Monday". The bible speaks of people in the Old Testament using dust and ashes as symbols of repentance and or mourning. (Job 2:8).
The name of Ash Wednesday came from a practice of blessing ashes made from palm branches blessed on previous years Palm Sunday. The ashes are placed on heads of participants. The words "Repent and believe in the Gospel" or "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return"
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Thank you for sharing the history of Ash Wednesday! It was concise and informative!
ReplyDeletethank you for your kind comments
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