This week, you're going to see a lot of people with ash crosses on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday; here's why
I'm sure you'll see folks strolling around with crosses smeared on their foreheads later this week. "Oh, right," you would think. Ash Wednesday, which is...some sort of religious day." You'd be correct—it is some kind of religious day, and if you want to learn more, here are the whats, whys, and wherefores of the Christian practice of putting ashes on your forehead.
What exactly is Ash Wednesday?
Since at least the 11th century, Ash Wednesday has been observed. It begins the Lenten season in various Christian groups and occurs 46 days before Easter. Penance is the idea of Ash Wednesday. It is a day to confess our sins, seek God's forgiveness, and reflect on the fleeting nature of our physical bodies.
Although Ash Wednesday is not directly stated in the Bible, egregious offenders were required to spend the weeks preceding Easter in sackcloth and ashes, undergoing genuine repentance in order to be pure enough to receive Easter communion. Someone seemed to have discovered that we are all sinners at some time, and everyone began having ashes sprinkled or daubed on their heads.
What is the procedure for Ash Wednesday?
The specifics differ per religion, but if you attend a Catholic service on Ash Wednesday, the priest will likely offer a sermon about repentance or Lent in general. After that, you'll stand in line to get ashes put on your forehead. The priest will most likely say something like, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” before applying ash, typically in a cross shape, to your forehead. The ashes are frequently made from burned palm fronds left over from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration.
Who observes Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday is observed by Christians of many denominations, including Anglicans, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, Moravians, Nazarenes, and many others. It's a popular day for people to attend mass—according to some priests, Ash Wednesday is the most highly attended mass of the year, bringing more people than Christmas or Easter.
Your guess is as good as everyone else's as to why it's so popular. It isn't especially significant as a religious festival, but many enjoy the ceremony. "There's something magical about it because you're branding yourself with the cross" says Father Anthony Arinello, priest of Colorado School of Mine. "Perhaps it's the humility of it; not just getting the ashes, but also receiving the small prayer we say when individuals receive ashes"
Others believe it's because people enjoy getting something for free, even if it's ash on their forehead.
How to Get Your Own Ashes
To the uninformed, seeing individuals going about with black crosses on their foreheads may conjure up images of old-world religious fervor, yet the laws around ash-wearing are not at all stringent. Because Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation for Catholics, missing mass is not even a venial sin, let alone a grave one. In fact, it's such a casual process that anybody can receive ashes. Unlike other Catholic sacraments such as communion, there are no qualifications. You are not required to be baptized, to be of a certain age, or to believe in God. If you've been excommunicated, you can even get ashes.
There are no regulations or standards for how long the ashes should be left on your forehead. You can remove them as soon as you apply them, however it's preferable to keep them on all day.
You don't even need to receive ashes from a church or a priest. The ashes are blessed by priests, but anybody can smear them on the foreheads of others. If a priest provides you with blessed ashes, you can take them home and observe Ash Wednesday on your own. Some churches have even been known to apply ashes to drivers at stoplights or on street corners in "ashes-to-go" initiatives.
On Ash Wednesday, people fast
Ash Wednesday is also one of two days of Lent when Catholics are supposed to fast. It's not a strict fast: you can't eat meat (fish is fine), but you can have one big meal and two smaller meals that "together do not equal a complete meal."
Ash Wednesday also marks the start of the Lenten season, during which you are supposed to forego some modest pleasure or indulgence until Easter. It's up to you what you give up, but it's not fair to give up something you don't love.
#AshWednesday #Catholic #Christian #Bible #Chrstianity
SOURCE: lifehacker
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