Why is the beginning of Lent called "Ash Wednesday"?

Many Christians attend special services of public worship on the first day of Lent called "Ash Wednesday." The name is the result of a tradition in which the pastor or priest burns the palm leaves which have remained from the previous year's Palm Sunday and, after blessing the ashes, uses them to mark a cross on the foreheads of the worshipers with the words: "Remember, man, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). The mark is worn on the worshiper's forehead throughout the day as a symbol of their sorrow for their sins.

From biblical times the act of sprinkling oneself with ashes has been a sign of repentance for sin, especially when the sinner is bold enough to approach Almighty God in prayer. When Job, for instance, came to appreciate the holiness of God and his own state of sinfulness, he said: "I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5-6).

The first day of Lent is the time when Christians demonstrate their humility before the throne of God with the mark of ashes.

Why do Christians observe Lent?

Many pious Christians set aside the 40 days which immediately precede Easter (excluding Sundays) as a time of personal reflection and devotion. This period is known as "Lent" — the Anglo-Saxon word for "Spring." Jewish tradition encouraged a period of preparation for major religious observances. Since many of the early Christians were Jews, it was only natural that they set aside a season for personal reflection before the celebration of Christ's resurrection known as the "Pasch" or "Easter," the major festival of the Church year.

Because of the profound spiritual atmosphere surrounding the Lenten season, a growing number of Christian congregations from nearly every denomination add midweek church services (usually on Wednesday evenings) as a regular part of the observance.

Why are there 40 days in Lent?

Forty-day periods of fasting commonly accompany the close encounters with God in the Bible. For example, Moses spent 40 days in fasting on Mt. Sinai prior to his receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). Elijah fasted for 40 days on his journey to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8), as did Jesus before his temptation by Satan (Matthew 4:2). In line with this "prescription by implication," many Christians observe the 40 days prior to Easter as a season for personal devotion during which, for some, fasting of a sort is included.