In 2021 , trillion of Christians around the world will celebrate Ash Wednesday on February 17 , 2021 , to mark the outset of the Lenten season . The practice of marking worshippers ' foreheads with ashes in the human body of a mark is one of Christianity ’s most visible rituals , but it ’s just one element of the holy day . Whether or not you observe it , here are some facts about Ash Wednesday worth sleep together .
1. Not all Christians observe Ash Wednesday.
While Ash Wednesday is perhaps most closely associated withCatholicism , there are manyChristian sectsthat recognize it , including Lutherans , Methodists , Episcopalians , Presbyterians , and some Baptists . There are also Christians that abstain from Ash Wednesday celebrations . Mormons , Evangelicals , and Pentecostal Christians are some of the appellative that do n’t take part in the holy day .
2. The ash has biblical significance.
The ash used on Ash Wednesday are meant to represent dust . When receiving ash on their forehead , parishioners hearthe watchword : " recollect you are debris , and to dust you shall return . " This is a mention what God says to Adam when exiling him from the Garden of Eden ( in the Christian Bible , Adam is literally formed from dust ) . On Ash Wednesday , the expression is a reminder to be humble in the face of mortality .
3. The history of Ash Wednesday is less than 1000 years old.
The first Ash Wednesday ceremonial were likely hold sometime in11th centuryCE . It ’s never mentioned in the Bible , but there is a verse in the Book of Daniel that links fasting to ashes , and some scholars believe this is the blood of the Lenten practice session . Ash Wednesday did n’t gain mainstream popularity with Christians in the U.S. until the 1970s .
4. Ashes are recycled from last Lent.
The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are amazingly eco - favorable . On Palm Sunday , the Sunday before Easter , many churches pass outpalm frondslike those used to welcome Jesus Christ to Jerusalem days before his crucifixion . Some churches deliver those palms to bite them and make theashesthat are apply to peoples ' frontal bone rough 11 months subsequently .
5. There are rules about what you can eat on Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday is a solar day of fasting . For many Christians , that does n’t meanabstainingfrom food all . alternatively , perceiver of the holy twenty-four hour period should confine themselves to one whole meal plus two small meals that , when add up , do n’t equalise a repast they would eat on a normal Clarence Day . Christians marking Ash Wednesday should also annul eating meat like they would on Fridays during Lent . ( Filet - type O - fishis still ok to eat , though . )
6. In Iceland, Ash Wednesday can look like Halloween.
TheTuesdaybefore Ash Wednesday is ordinarily reserved for indulgence and revel ( think : Mardi Gras ) , but inIceland , the fun does n’t stop there . The first day of Lent in Iceland , called Öskudagur , is alike to Halloween in the U.S. Kids dress up in costume and tour their neighborhoods sing songs in central for candy . The holiday even makes room for mischief — in one fading custom , minor will sometimes pin " ash bags " ( often filled with caryopsis rather of ash ) to the backs of their peers when they are n’t look .
7. You can get ashes without going to church.
Many parishes have started extend " ash to go " on Ash Wednesday . priest and pastors will often station themselves in public places — likestreet corner , parking lots , and public transit stops — groom to administerblessed ashesto whoever take to receive them .
Along those production line , you do n’t need to be a church leader to administer ashes . Many church give parishioners the option to take packets of asheshome with themto use to the foreheads of loved one who could n’t make it to the service of process . pick up ash tree is n’t a sacrament , so the rules beleaguer it are n’t as hard-and-fast as they are with something like holy communion in the Catholic Church .
