Ash Wednesday - Solemnity

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a movable Holy Day, falling on a different date each year, because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as 4 February or as late as 10 March.

Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. The ashes come from the burning of the palm crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday. In the liturgical practice of some churches, the ashes are mixed with the Oil of the Catechumens (one of the sacred oils used to anoint those about to be baptised). This paste is then used by the priest at the 'imposition of ashes' to mark the sign of the cross on the foreheads of the penitents. The priest recites the words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ."