What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is the start of 40 days fasting for Lent, a time of penance before Good Friday, marking the crucifixion of Christ. It actually lasts 46 day but some of those days are Sundays which are not fast days. It  began to be practised as we do it today from around the 5th century. 

Why do Christians get ashed on Ash Wednesday?

It is a reminder that death comes to us all, from Genesis 3:19: 'For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.' Originally it was a public act of penance for known wrong-doers in a community, but soon everyone in a church community began doing it in public recognition that sin is universal and we all need to repent of something..

What are the ashes made of anyway?

Clergy use cinders of burned palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday to make the sign of the cross, a smudge or simply sprinkle the heads of Christians.

Do all Christians do this?

It has traditionally been a Catholic and Anglican or Episcopalian practice but as television pictures go around the world of Pope Francis, popular among all branches of Christianity not just Catholicism, it seems evangelical and other churches might be picking it up too. One church in Galway, Ireland has even set up a 'drive-through' service for Christians who want to be 'ashed' on the move.

How long should ashes remain on my forehead?

There is no rule about this. In Matthew 6, Jesus condemns ostentations displays of religion, so some clergy say don't go out in public with the ash on your face. But it is increasingly common on Ash Wednesday to see people walking around with ashed foreheads. And many Christians are already posting pictures of themselves on social media, especially Facebook, after being ashed. The practice is generally to wipe then off by Thursday morning at the latest if they are still there.

I'm a Christian but I've never been ashed. What does it look like?

Bill Donaghy, of the Theology of the Body Institute, tweeted a humorous  Catholic guide to ashes: