World days, 10 Feb 2027
Ash Wednesday
The first day of Lent in Western Christianity, when worshippers receive a cross of ash on the forehead.
Ash Wednesday begins Lent, the 40 days of fasting and prayer before Easter, in the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and many other Western churches. At services, a minister marks each worshipper's forehead with ash, usually in the shape of a cross, saying words that recall human mortality and repentance. The ash is traditionally made by burning palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday. Many people keep the mark on the forehead for the rest of the day, so it is one of the most widely seen faith marks on the face in Europe and the Americas.
Guides tied to Ash Wednesday
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Forehead: Faceofwiki, Public domain, source