Today Is Ash Wednesday
Wikipedia states:
In the Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It occurs forty days before Easter, not counting Sundays , and forty-four calendar days (counting Sundays) before Good Friday. It falls on different dates from year to year, according to the date of Easter; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.
At Masses on this day, worshippers are blessed with ashes by the celebrating priest. The priest marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes, in the shape of a cross, leaving a mark that the worshipper traditionally leaves on his or her forehead until sundown, before washing it off. The symbolism echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ash over one's head signifying repentance before God (as related numerous times in the Bible).
In the Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It occurs forty days before Easter, not counting Sundays , and forty-four calendar days (counting Sundays) before Good Friday. It falls on different dates from year to year, according to the date of Easter; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.
At Masses on this day, worshippers are blessed with ashes by the celebrating priest. The priest marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes, in the shape of a cross, leaving a mark that the worshipper traditionally leaves on his or her forehead until sundown, before washing it off. The symbolism echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ash over one's head signifying repentance before God (as related numerous times in the Bible).