Ash Wednesday is an important holy day in the liturgical calendar. On this day, Christians celebrate the start of the Lent period. This religious observance is marked by Western Christians, 46 days before Easter Sunday. Traditionally, Ash Wednesday is observed by Roman Catholics and Protestants such as Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists and Reformed Churches. The first day of the Lenten period (40 days of fasting, reflection, repentance and finally a celebration) is marked by daily devotional prayers and fasting.
The name Ash Wednesday stems from the practice of placing repentance ashes on the foreheads of participants. The majority of Christian denominations focus on fasting and abstinence during Lent, especially on Ash Wednesday. Additionally, according to the First Council of Nicaea, which was made up of Christian bishops, Lent is a period of fasting for 40 days in preparation for the Eastertide.
The origin of Ash Wednesday is not clear. However, it is believed to date back to the apostolic era and only became formal in 325 AD when the Council of Nicaea approved these celebrations. According to most Christian Scholars, Lent became a common observation following the legalization of Christianity in 313 AD. During this era, Constantine the Roman empire of the time focused on uniting Christianity and creating a single imperially accepted form of faith during his reign. Hence, Constantine established the First Council of Nicaea to work towards attaining unanimity in the Church through associations signifying all of Christendom. The primary achievements of this council included clearance of the Christological issue of the nature of God, the Son and the relation to God the Father, developing a uniform observance date of Easter and creating the first section of the Nicene Creed.
According to the Bible, Ash Wednesday marked the start of the forty-day period, which Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying. During this period, Jesus was tempted several times according to several accounts in the Bible, including Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1: 12-13, and Luke 4:1-13.
The Bible directly mentions repentance and fasting but not on Ash Wednesday explicitly. Therefore, Christians do not necessarily need to fast and abstain from luxury on this holiday specifically but instead be willing to do so throughout the year. In the Bible, Jesus endorses the practice of fasting in several verses, including Matthew 6:16-18, Isaiah 58:5-7 and Psalms 51. In these verses, Jesus outlines how Christians should fast and what should be done during this period. He (Jesus) asks his followers to not make a show while fasting but asks them to seek repentance and offer help to others in society.
In most Christian denominations, Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation, but it is usually observed by attending Mass to mark the beginning of Lent. Most Christian denominations emphasize fasting and abstinence to usher in Lent. Historically, Christians from all over the world abstained from food from dawn to dusk. In India and Pakistan, Christians fast the whole day until sunset on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, while others fast this way throughout the Lent season.
Different Christians choose to fast, but this depends on the teachings of their denominations. For instance, in the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is marked by fasting, abstinence from meat and repentance. Generally, Christians from the age of 18-59 years who are healthy are expected to fast on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. The minimum obligations of fasting include having one full meal, together with two smaller portions. However, some Catholics choose to go beyond the minimum requirements and do a complete fast or a bread and water fast for the entire day. In the Lutheran Church, communicants are taught to fast on Ash Wednesday and others opt to fast throughout the Lent season. According to one Lutheran Congregation’s book, worshippers are expected to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and undertake a single meal without meat during the day. In Anglican Churches, including the Church of England, communicants are expected to fast for the entire Lent period, and on Fridays, they should refrain from meat during the whole church year except during Christmastide. The Methodist Church emphasizes the significance of fasting which begins on Ash Wednesday while the Reformed Churches define this holiday as a day of prayer, fasting and repentance and voluntarily observe the Lenten fast in its totality.
The practice of sprinkling or smearing ashes on the forehead during Ash Wednesday was a common practice in Biblical times as a symbol of grief and regret of sins. Several scriptures in the Bible highlight people repenting in ashes and dust, including Daniel 9:3-4, Job 42:3-6, Jeremiah 6:26, Esther 4:1, 2nd Samuel 13:19 and Jonah 3:5-6. Additionally, Jesus mentions the practice of using ashes in repentance in Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13. The method of using ash as an exterior symbol of repentance became a common practice, and by the 10th century, it became a custom where all the faithful would be given ashes at the beginning of the Lenten fast. Later in 1091, this custom was adopted in the churches of Rome following orders from Pope Urban II which led the observance to be referred to as Feria Quarta Cinerrum (Ash Wednesday).
On Ash Wednesday, Ash is ceremoniously applied on the foreheads of Christians accompanied by the phrase “Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris” which translates to “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” from Genesis 3:19. This phrase is meant to remind Christians of their sinfulness, and due to humans’ mortality, it also implies the need to repent regularly. However, in 1969, another formula of the Roman Rite (fixed structure of conducting mass or church services) was introduced based on Mark 1:15 which stated: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” This slight reformation only reiterated the contents of the first phrase initially mentioned. Traditionally, the most common manners of applying ash have been either sprinkling over the crown of the head or making a cross on the forehead of the congregants. In the Catholic and Methodist Churches, ashes are traditionally obtained from burning the previous year’s palms during Palm Sunday celebrations. Although, in the Church of England, the ashes ‘may’ be made from burnt palm crosses of the previous year. Initially, ashes were sprinkled over the forehead but because women’s heads were usually covered in church, the practice of placing it on the forehead in the form of a cross became more frequent. It should be noted that there are no rules for how to apply ashes on people’s heads. However, in Catholic churches, how ash is applied completely depends on the local customs of the region.
Typically, ashes are blessed either at the beginning of the Eucharist before they are distributed or placed on the foreheads of the congregants. The 1969 reform of the Roman Rite introduced into the Mass the solemn act of blessing ashes as well as putting on heads. Only priests or deacons are allowed to bless ashes while lay people can put the blessed ashes on peoples’ heads. For example, in Anglican Churches of Papua New Guinea, the priest blesses the ashes, marks his forehead first and then proceeds to mark the foreheads of the congregation. On the other hand, in the Church of England, the Pope and the Bishop of Rome take part in the repentance process and similar to the traditions of Italy as well as other countries across the world, ashes are sprinkled on the heads of worshippers. In the Catholic Churches, based on the Roman Missal, the priest puts ashes on those present that come to him and recite the Roman Rite. However, unlike sacraments, the Catholic Church does not discriminate non-Catholics or non-baptized people from receiving ashes or having them placed on their foreheads.
In some cases, the worshipper can take blessed ashes home with them to put on their family members, the sick or other people who could not attend the church service. Today, in English speaking countries, priests add holy water to the ashes to form a paste which is then applied on the heads of worshippers, while in other countries including parts of Latin America, Italy, and Spain, ashes are simply spread on the crown of the forehead. There is no rule stating how long Christians should leave the ashes on, some remove it immediately while others leave it on for the entire day as a sign of repentance. During the 8th century, sinners would pursue public atonement for grave sins throughout the lent period and would be sprinkled with ashes and dressed in sack clothes before receiving Holy Communion just before Easter. However, this practice was abolished, and today’s customs introduced. According to many Catholic Churches, services held on this day help the worshippers to prepare and appreciate the death and resurrection of Jesus through prayer, abstinence, self-examination, repentance and fasting.
According to the Roman Missal, the blessing and distribution of ashes can also be conducted outside the Mass. However, the rite is commenced by the liturgy of the Word, entrance of the Antiphon, the collection and the readings of the Mass, followed by the Homily, the blessing and distribution of the ashes. As a result, since 2007, numerous Christian denominations, including Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and Lutherans, participate in a program referred to as Ashes to Go. In this program, clergy members go to public places such as sidewalks, train stations, and downtown to issue out ashes to the people around the area. This practice was established by Emily Mellott, an Anglican priest of the Calvary Church in Lombard, who believed Ashes to Go was a form of evangelism. Additionally, this practice was also adopted in 2012 by the Catholic Student Association of Kent State University where ashes were distributed at the student center of the institution. Other traditions of Ashes to Go include the introduction of a drive-through prayers drop box where people could submit their prayers in churches without leaving their vehicles.
Ash Wednesday is a moveable feast day that depends on the moon cycles and is usually observed precisely 46 days before Easter. The earliest date this observance can occur is February 4th while the latest date is March 10th. Ash Wednesday is yet to fall on February 29th. Ash Wednesday is celebrated mostly by Western Christianity. The Eastern Orthodox Church does not observe Ash Wednesday. Instead, their Lenten fast starts on Clean Monday but some still follow the Western Rite and celebrate Ash Wednesday, but their date differs as it depends on the Orthodox calculations of Pascha.
A traditional Ash Wednesday service consists of Psalms 51, prayers of confessions and the symbol of ashes according to Robin K. Wallace, author of The Christian Year: A Guide for Worship and Preaching. Mostly, traditional church services include one or two of these practices but not all. For instance, the Anglican church’s tradition of this observance consists of Psalm 51 and prayers of confession while the Catholic Church’s service consists of the blessing and distribution of ashes while the rest are considered customary on all repentance days, as well as Ash Wednesday. In some churches, other practices may be added or substituted to symbolize the confession and repentance of the day. For instance, in some churches, cards are circulated to the congregation who write the sins they wish to seek repentance for, these cards are then collected on the altar table and burnt.
Additionally, some countries celebrated this holiday in a variety of ways. For instance, in Ireland, Ash Wednesday is observed as a National No Smoking Day. This day was selected because one of the tenets of Ash Wednesday is to abstain from luxury during the Lent period and quitting smoking equals abstinence from a luxury. In the United Kingdom, a similar holiday was officially first observed on Ash Wednesday in 1984 but was later moved to the second Wednesday in March. In Iceland, children celebrate this holiday by placing small bags of ashes on peoples’ backs unnoticed, sing songs and put on costumes. Other traditions include theatres refraining from showing costumed shows on this holiday, especially in the Victorian era, and replacing these with different kinds of entertainment as directed by the Church of England.
While Ash Wednesday is a popular celebration among the Catholic community, not all Christians celebrate the holiday. For instance, Eastern Catholic Churches do not consider Holy Week as part of Lent and hence, begin their repentance period on Clean Monday, while the Ambrosian Rite (Catholic Western rite used in Milan) Catholics begin it on the first Sunday during the Lent period.
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