Ash Wednesday

Traditionally from the ashes of the Palm Crosses used in the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration and mixed with the Oil of Catechumens which is a sacred oil used in Baptisms.

Probably has to do with getting cremated after you die.

Ha, ha, ha! No it is part of the Anglican (Church of England, Episcopalian) burial service: "ashes to ashes, dust to dust". Ashes and dust are synonymous terms which mean "dirt". (This is why "ashcan" means the same as "dustbin") The sense is that we start out as dirt (see the book of Genesis for the story of Adam being created from dirt) and we end up as dirt. Our physical existance is just a passing phase, so we should not grieve overmuch over the death of loved ones.

They aren't the ashes of a person. The tradition is that it is the ashes of the bails from the wickets of the first Ashes test. The name came from a editorial of a newspaper saying (after an English defeat) that English cricket had died and the ashes sent to Australia.

Burnt Palm Leaves

The ashes are burnt from the palms of the past year's Palm Sunday and they represent the sin that we have and the death that we will face (as in "for dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return" Genesis 3:19). That sounds really morbid, but it's a way to begin and prepare yourself for the season of Lent, remembering sins and the redemption that has been given to us all.

Since the new translation they now say "Repent and believe in the Gospel" or "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.", either one is acceptable.

The law of abstinence requires a Catholic 14 years of age until death to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in honor of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Meat is considered to be the flesh and organs of mammals and fowl. Moral theologians have traditionally considered this also to forbid soups or gravies made from them. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are permitted, as are animal derived products such as margarine and gelatin which do not have any meat taste.

On the Fridays outside of Lent the U.S. bishops conference obtained the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing. Since this was not stated as binding under pain of sin, not to do so on a single occasion would not in itself be sinful. However, since penance is a divine command, the general refusal to do penance is certainly gravely sinful. For most people the easiest way to consistently fulfill this command is the traditional one, to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year which are not liturgical solemnities. When solemnities, such as the Annunciation, Assumption, All Saints etc. fall on a Friday, we neither abstain or fast.

During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the United States as elsewhere, and it is sinful not to observe this discipline without a serious reason (physical labor, pregnancy, sickness etc.).

(From ETWN)

The thing that holds dead man ashes is called an Urn I believe :)

The ashes urn is not exactly kept in mcg but at the mcc cricket museum at lords.... along with the score card of the match in 1882

No, because Ash Wednesday as we now know it did not exist then.

Of course, Ashes are a sacramental used to remind the faithful of death and the necessity of penance and contrition. The use of ashes, expressing humiliation and sorrow, was common in ancient religions and is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. The Church has used them for centuries for public penitents, and for Ash Wednesday and Lent in particular. The use on Ash Wednesday is about the only use that most people in the modern world know of.

To remind us ashes to ashes we are nothing better than dirt

Catholics age 14 and up must refrain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent.

The ashes represent God creating us from dust/ashes and after us dying, us returning to dust/ashes.

Ash Wednesday is always 47 calendar days before Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox (March 21).

Lets use 2011 as an example. The first full moon after the vernal equinox is Monday April 18th. Easter Sunday is the next Sunday after that (Sunday, April 24th). Now, subtract 47 days: March 9th is Ash Wednesday.

On Ash Wednesday Jesus rode into town on a donkey. He did not ride into town on a horse because he wanted to tell the people that he was not rich he was like them. In other words he came in peace he did not fight with anyone. People laid their clothes, palms and any other material that they had in front of him to ride over.

It is the day after Mardi Gras ( Fat Tuesday ) the date changes. It is the first official day of Lent.

It occurs on a Wednesday.

The first day of Lent and 46 days before Easter. As Easter moves each year, needing to always fall on a Sunday, the date for Ash Wednesday also changes.

in 2011, it will be on March 9th

in 2012, it will be on February 22

No. While Ash Wednesday is an important day to Catholics as the beginning of the season of Lent, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation.

Ash Wednesday is however a special holy day and a day of abstinence and penance.

The last day before the period of Lent, and the first day of it. Certain foods were historically banned during Lent, so the day before (Tuesday) was a day to use up the leftovers before the household was 'shriven'.

Has sunday Up per case?

1. sunday
2. monday
3. tuesday
4. wednessday
5. thursday
6. friday
7. saturday

On ash Wednesday, there are these mantras that you must know. When this holy day of obligation is among you you start to give up what you enjoy doing starting the day to rise from your sleep. If you cannot think of something to give up you just do something friendly or courteous. when this time comes you must head to the mass (meaning go to church) and let the priest ordain you with ash on your forehead in the shape of a cross. Plus you must wait for Easter to come in order to go back to doing what you're addicted to. but on this beginning day of lent you cannot eat meat (exception to fish which is why McDonalds has the fillet-o-fish). On Fridays the only thing you can consume that is meat is cod or any other fish in the deep blue sea. It's tricky but I have done it before. Mark my words You'll get through it. I promise!

[MaggieWood1) I would like to make some corrections based on the above answers: 1) Ash Wednesday is "not" a Holy Day of Obligation. It is only a "recommended" day to start out the Lent season by receiving Holy ashes upon he forehead. 2) Lent does not end on Easter Sunda. Catholic Lentent period concludes"after" the Holy Thursday mass. 3) There are absolutely no rules regarding "what kind" of fish you are to consume during abstinence days during Lent. The recommendation is to eat fish, as it is not considered a mammal based meat. 4) You are not obligated to "give up" nor do anything during Lent. It is just, again, a recommendeation that you ponder the sacrafices of Christ and try harder during this 40 day period to be more Christ-like. Over the years, many Catholics and non-Catholics have mis-interpreted the recommedations for Lent. The Catholic Church publishes "no" rules for Lent...only recommendations.