By the ash on their foreheads will most Christians around the world acknowledge their faith on Feb. 17, Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
There are about two billion Christians around the world, but not all celebrate Ash Wednesday and/or Lent. Those who do will receive the imposition of ashes, as it has come to be known, from a priest who traces the sign of the cross on their foreheads with ash and says, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The ash is meant to symbolize mourning and penitence. The ashes are palms kept from the previous Palm Sunday which are burned and mixed with anointing oil.
Ash Wednesday, said to have begun as early as the third century, is also recognized by Christians as the day of fasting for 40 days before Easter. The 40-day period was chosen based on the Biblical account that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert.