In preparation for Ash Wednesday, a rising number of religious ... According to the National Altar Guild Association, ashes must cool and be sifted to discard large or scratchy pieces.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is the 40-day (excluding Sundays) season that precedes Easter. On Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent, most Catholics abstain from ...

For many Christians worldwide, the weeks leading up to Easter are a time of fasting, solemn contemplation and abstaining from certain luxuries and foods.

It's time for the faithful to receive the marking of the cross in ash on their foreheads and begin a 40-day period of repentance, fasting and prayer. This year, Ash Wednesday lands on Wednesday ...

Ash Wednesday, also known as the Day of Ashes ... blessings of the Oil of Chrism, striping of the altar, and the washing of feet in memory of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.