ASH WEDNESDAY

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 is the 10th of 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.
When is Ash Wednesday?
   In 2011 it falls on the 9th March
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..

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.