Ash Wednesday: Difference between revisions

Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
	A cross of ashes on a worshipper's forehead on Ash Wednesday
Observed by	Many Western Christians
Type	Christendom
Observances	Divine Liturgy, Holy Mass, Service of worship; Marking of an ash cross on the forehead
Date	Wednesday in seventh week before Easter
2023 date	February 22
2024 date	February 14
2025 date	March 5
2026 date	February 18
Frequency	annual
Related to	Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras; Lent; Easter

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Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar, directly following Shrove Tuesday.^[1] Occurring 46 days before Easter, it is a moveable feast that can fall as early as February 4 and as late as March 10.

According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan.^[2]^[3] Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting or abstinence. Of the 46 days until Easter, six are Sundays. As the Christian sabbath, Sundays are not included in the fasting period and are instead "feast" days during Lent.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a celebration and reminder of human mortality, and as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered from the burning of the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday.^[4]

History

During the time of early Church Father Tertullian, ashes and sackcloths were used as severe penance due to grave sin. Ashes, mixed with sackcloths represented a gruesome image of penance and humiliation; a form of penitence associated with those who violated Canon Law in the early church. Since this time, the public imposition of ashes sometime 40 days prior to Easter has been observed in the Roman Catholic Church later revised by the widespread granting of plenary indulgences^[5].

The esteemed Anglo-Saxon abbot Ælfric of Eynsham cites its historical practice during his own lifetime^[6]. He further added in his book, The Lives of the Saints, a pious tale of an unrepentant man who refused to receive ashes on a "mid-week" and was killed afterwards in a boar hunt.^[7]

Accordingly, the Anglican Church also maintained the same pious Lenten custom since its inception. In addition, the Anglican faithful subscribe to their own Lenten daily devotional^[8] while Lutheran Christians after the Reformation temporarily refrained from the practice, and later reinstated the imposition of ashes in the mid-20th century^[9]^[10]^[11]

After the ecumenical dialogues ushered by the Second Vatican Council, the practice has also become a standard practice in the Methodist Church.^[12]^[13] In addition to these liturgical denominations,^[14] some Anabaptist and Reformed churches, which abandoned the practice after the Reformation, now also observe this day,^[8]^[15] which has become widespread in much of Christendom^[14].

The Pope, as the Bishop of Rome traditionally makes a trip via the processional route between the Church of Saint Anselm to the Basilica of Santa Sabina on this religious day. The Pontiff customarily does not receive marked ashes on his brow, rather have them sprinkled on his forehead as is a pious custom among Roman clerics and bishops.

Ritual

At Masses and services of worship on this day, ashes are imposed on the foreheads of the faithful (or on the tonsure spots, in the case of some clergy). The priest, minister, or in some cases officiating layperson, marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes in the sign of the cross, which the worshipper traditionally retains until it wears off. The act echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ashes over one's head to signify repentance before God (as related in the Bible). The priest or minister says one or both of the following when applying the ashes:

Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.
— Genesis 3:19

Repent, and believe the Gospel.
— Mark 1:15

One tradition is to keep palm fronds from the previous year's Palm Sunday to be burned to produce the ashes.^[16]

The liturgical imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday is a sacramental, not a sacrament, and in the Catholic understanding of the term the ashes themselves are also a sacramental. The ashes are blessed according to various rites proper to each liturgical tradition, sometimes involving the use of Holy Water. In some churches, they are mixed with a small amount of water^[17] or olive oil,^[18] which serve as a fixative. In most liturgies for Ash Wednesday, the Penitential psalms are read; Psalm 51 (LXX Psalm 50) is especially associated with this day.^[19] The service also often includes a corporate confession rite.

In some of the low church traditions, other practices are sometimes added or substituted, as other ways of symbolizing the confession and penitence of the day. For example, in one common variation, small cards are distributed to the congregation on which people are invited to write a sin they wish to confess. These small cards are brought forth to the altar table where they are burned.^[20]

In the Catholic Church, ashes, being sacramentals, may be given to anyone who wishes to receive them,^[21]^[22] as opposed to Catholic sacraments, which are generally reserved for church members, except in cases of grave necessity.^[23]^[24] Similarly, in other Christian denominations ashes may be received by all who profess the Christian faith and are baptized.^[25]

In the Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is observed by fasting, abstinence from meat, and repentance—a day of contemplating one's transgressions. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer also designates Ash Wednesday as a day of fasting. In the medieval period, Ash Wednesday was the required annual day of penitential confession occurring after fasting and the remittance of the tithe. In other Christian denominations these practices are optional, with the main focus being on repentance. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 (whose health enables them to do so) are permitted to consume only one full meal, which may be supplemented by two smaller meals, which together should not equal the full meal. Some Catholics will go beyond the minimum obligations demanded by the Church and undertake a complete fast or a bread and water fast. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also days of abstinence from meat (mammals and fowl), as are all Fridays during Lent.^[26] Some Catholics continue fasting throughout Lent,^{[citation needed]} as was the Church's traditional requirement,^[27] concluding only after the celebration of the Easter Vigil.

Upon exiting the church, Lutheran pastor Richard P. Bucher and Catholic bishop Kieran Conry state Christians leave the ashed sign of the cross on their foreheads for the remainder of the day in order to point others to faith in Jesus.^[28]^[29] The Reverend Morgan Guyton, speaking on behalf of the Red-Letter Christian movement within Christianity, encourages Christians to receive and wear ashes on their foreheads throughout the day in order to exercise their religious freedom.^[30]

As the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday comes the day after Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the last day of the Carnival season. Dutch tradition holds the custom to eat salted herring on Ash Wednesday to conclude the carnival in the Netherlands.

Biblical significance

Ashes were used in ancient times to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence is found in Job 42:3–6. Job says to God: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (vv. 5–6, KJV) The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for repentance this way: "O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes" (Jer 6:26). The prophet Daniel recounted pleading to God this way: "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes" (Daniel 9:3). Just prior to the New Testament period, the rebels fighting for Jewish independence, the Maccabees, prepared for battle using ashes: "That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes" (1 Maccabees 3:47; see also 4:39).

Other examples are found in several other books of the Bible including, Numbers 19:9, 19:17, Jonah 3:6, Matthew 11:21, and Luke 10:13, and Hebrews 9:13. Ezekiel 9 also speaks of a linen-clad messenger marking the forehead of the city inhabitants that have sorrow over the sins of the people. All those without the mark are destroyed.

It marks the start of a 43-day period which is an allusion to the separation of Jesus in the desert to fast and pray. During this time he was tempted. Matthew 4:1–11, Mark 1:12–13, and Luke 4:1–13.^[31] While not specifically instituted in the Bible text, the 40-day period of repentance is also analogous to the 40 days during which Moses repented and fasted in response to the making of the Golden calf. (Jews today follow a 40-day period of repenting in preparation for and during the High Holy Days from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur.)

In Victorian England, theatres refrained from presenting costumed shows on Ash Wednesday, so they provided other entertainments.^[32]

Dates

Ash Wednesday is a moveable fast, occurring 46 days before Easter. In future years Ash Wednesday will occur on these dates: Template:MultiCol

2025 – March 5
2026 – February 18
2027 – February 10
2028 – March 1
2029 – February 14

| class="col-break " |

2030 – March 6
2031 – February 26
2032 – February 11
2033 – March 2
2034 – February 22

Template:EndMultiCol

The earliest date Ash Wednesday can occur is February 4 (in a common year with Easter on March 22), which happened in 1573, 1668, 1761 and 1818 and will next occur in 2285. The latest date is March 10 (when Easter Day falls on April 25) which occurred in 1546, 1641, 1736, 1886 and 1943 and will next occur in 2038. Ash Wednesday has never occurred on Leap Year Day (February 29), and it will not occur as such until 2096. The only other years of the third millennium that will have Ash Wednesday on February 29 are 2468, 2688, 2840 and 2992. (Ash Wednesday falls on February 29 only if Easter is on April 15 in a leap year.)

Observing denominations

These Christian denominations are among those that mark Ash Wednesday with a particular liturgy or church service.

African Methodist Episcopal Church
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Anglican Catholic Church
Anglican Communion
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Episcopal Church
Traditional Anglican Communion
Individual Baptist churches may hold a service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Some congregations of the Church of the Nazarene
Church of God (Anderson)
Church of the Nazarene
Church of North India
Church of South India
Some congregations of Community of Christ
Ecclesia Gnostica
Some congregations of the Evangelical Covenant Church
Some Free Churches (e.g., Free Methodist Church)
Liberal Catholic Church
Lutheran Church
Some congregations of the Mennonite Brethren Church
Some congregations of Mennonite Church Canada
Some congregations of Mennonite Church USA
Methodist Church in India
Metropolitan Community Churches
Moravian Church
Old Catholic Church
Reformed churches (Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, etc.)
Roman Catholic Church
United Church of Christ Congregations
United Methodist Church
Wesleyan Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church does not, in general, observe Ash Wednesday; instead, Orthodox Great Lent begins on Clean Monday. There are, however, a relatively small number of Orthodox Christians who follow the Western Rite; these do observe Ash Wednesday, although often on a different day from the previously mentioned denominations, as its date is determined from the Orthodox calculation of Pascha, which may be as much as a month later than the Western observance of Easter.

National No Smoking Day

In the Republic of Ireland, Ash Wednesday is National No Smoking Day.^[33]^[34] The date was chosen because quitting smoking ties in with giving up luxury for Lent.^[35]^[36] In the United Kingdom, No Smoking Day was held for the first time on Ash Wednesday 1984,^[37] but is now fixed as the second Wednesday in March.^[38]

References

^ Shrove Tuesday inspires unique church traditions KATIE WALKER March 07, 2011
^ "What is Lent and why does it last forty days?". The United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "The Liturgical Year". The Anglican Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 24 August 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Ellsworth Kalas. Preaching the Calendar: Celebrating Holidays and Holy Days. Westminster John Knox Press. Retrieved 8 March 2011. We are wise, therefore to explain, whether in the course of the homily or in the church bulletin or newsletter, something of the meaning of the day: of ashes as an ancient symbol of loss and repentance; of the historic words spoken during the imposition of the ashes, "Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return"; of the practice in many religious communions of using ashes made from the palms of the previous year's Palm Sunday; and, of course, that the imposition of ashes is a sign of mourning and repentance.
^ Dr. Richard P. Burner - Our Redeemer Lutheran Church - http://www.orlutheran.com/html/ash.html
^ The Lives of the Saints: "We read in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast."
^ The Lives of the Saints: https://archive.org/details/aelfricslivesof01aelf.
^ ^a ^b Season of Ash and Fire: Prayers and Liturgies for Lent and Easter BLAIR MEEKS December 01, 2013 | In recent years Christians from the Reformed branch of the Protestant tradition have begun to recover a practice that dates in the Western church at least to the tenth century. That is to begin Lent on the Wednesday before the First Sunday in Lent with a service of repentance and commitment, including the imposition of ashes. The Lutheran and Anglican traditions, of course, never lapsed in this observance, and the liturgical reforms of Vatican II have made Roman Catholic prayers and rubrics more accesible to other traditions through ecumenical dialogues.
^ Official Lutheran History on Lenten practices - The Lutheran Missouri Synod - http://www.lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=1694.
^ Lent JACK KINGSBURY December 01, 1980 | The imposition of ashes symbolizes the penitential nature of the season of Lent. While this custom is still observed in the Roman Catholic church, and in some Lutheran and Anglican parishes, it has not been retained in Reformed churches.
^ Lectionary Preaching Workbook RUSSELL ANDERSON January 01, 1995 | Ashes are a traditional symbol of penitence and remose. The practice of imposing ashes on the first day of Lent continues to this day in the church of Rome as well as in many Lutheran and Episcopalian quarters.
^ William P. Lazarus, Mark Sullivan. Comparative Religion For Dummies. For Dummies. Retrieved 8 March 2011. This is the day Lent begins. Christians go to church to pray and have a cross drawn in ashes on their foreheads. The ashes drawn on ancient tradition represent repentance before God. The holiday is part of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopalian liturgies, among others.
^ The United Methodist Church website: "When did United Methodists start the "imposition of ashes" on Ash Wednesday?" retrieved March 1, 2014 | "While many think of actions such as the imposition of ashes, signing with the cross, footwashing, and the use of incense as something that only Roman Catholics or high church Episcopalians do, there has been a move among Protestant churches, including United Methodists to recover these more multisensory ways of worship."
^ ^a ^b Baptists mark Ash Wednesday JEFF BRUMLEY February 13, 2013 | While long associated with Catholic and various liturgical Protestant denominations, its observance has spread in recent years to traditions known more for avoiding liturgical seasons than embracing them.
^ Ash Wednesday service: We pour out our brokenness - Mennonite Church MARLENE KROPF February 09, 2005 | Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent, a time of repentance and preparation for the great celebration of Easter. Observing Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season can be a way of restoring the important practices of confession and renewal in the church.
^ Dear Abby (4 April 2013). "Wife Sees Trouble in Eyes of Husband and Store Clerk". Universal Uclick. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
^ Ford, Penny. "Lent 101". Upper Room Ministries.
^ "Lent and Easter". The Diocese of London. 17 March 2004.
^ Psalm 51 is the Ash Wednesday reading in both the Revised Common Lectionary and The Catholic Lectionary.
^ "What is the significance of ashes being placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday?". The United Methodist Church.
^ "Responses to frequently asked questions regarding Lenten practices". Catholics United for the Faith.
^ Code of Canon Law, canon 1170
^ Donovan, Colin B. "Communion of Non-Catholics or Intercommunion". Eternal Word Television Network.
^ 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 844
^ "Pastor's Message: Ash Wednesday, An Invitation To Lent". First United Methodist Church. 28 February 2001.
^ 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 1251
^ 1917 Code of Canon Law, canon 1252 §§2–3
^ The History and Meaning of Ash Wednesday DR RICHARD P. BUCHER March 01, 2014
^ Don’t rub off your ashes, urges bishop ANNA ARCO March 013, 2011
^ Like Religious Freedom? Wear Ashes on Wednesday! MORGAN GUYTON February 21, 2012 | I strongly believe that wearing ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday is the best way to 1) assert our religious freedom as citizens and 2) remember that our call as Christians is to be witnesses first and foremost. God doesn’t build His kingdom through petitions or angry signs or blogosphere comment wars; He has always built it through the patient witness that can only occur face to face in personal relationships.
^ "Lent with Jesus in the desert to fight the spirit of evil". Asia News.it. 3 May 2006. Turning to the gospel of the day, which is about Jesus' 40 days in the desert, "where he overcame the temptations of Satan" (cfr Mk 1:12–13), Pope Benedict XVI exhorted Christians to follow "their Teacher and Lord to face together with Him 'the struggle against the spirit of evil'." He said: "The desert is rather an eloquent metaphor of the human condition." {{cite news}}: C1 control character in |quote= at position 218 (help)
^ Foulkes, Richard. Church and Stage in Victorian Britain. Cambridge Univ Press. p. 34.
^ Written Answers. – Cigarette Smoking. Dáil Éireann – Volume 475 – 18 February 1997
^ Chronic long-term costs of COPD, Dr Jarlath Healy, Irish Medical Times, 2008
^ Ban on smoking in cars gets Minister's support Alison Healy, The Irish Times, 2009
^ 20% of smokers light up around their children every day Claire O'Sullivan, Irish Examiner, 2006
^ The History of No Smoking Day, No Smoking Day website
^ FAQ: When is No Smoking Day 2010?, No Smoking Day website

External links

A Roman Catholic Ash Wednesday Service
An Episcopal Ash Wednesday Service
The Text This Week: Ash Wednesday
Dates of Ash Wednesday from 1583–9999
Lent: Ash Wednesday – All Saints' King's Lynn
Ash Wednesday 2014 Update by Jason Nguyen
Ash Wednesday 2014 HugoTalk

[1] Shrove Tuesday inspires unique church traditions KATIE WALKER March 07, 2011

[UMC_–_Lent-2] "What is Lent and why does it last forty days?". The United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[The_Anglican_Catholic_Church-3] "The Liturgical Year". The Anglican Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 24 August 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[Description-4] Ellsworth Kalas. Preaching the Calendar: Celebrating Holidays and Holy Days. Westminster John Knox Press. Retrieved 8 March 2011. We are wise, therefore to explain, whether in the course of the homily or in the church bulletin or newsletter, something of the meaning of the day: of ashes as an ancient symbol of loss and repentance; of the historic words spoken during the imposition of the ashes, "Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return"; of the practice in many religious communions of using ashes made from the palms of the previous year's Palm Sunday; and, of course, that the imposition of ashes is a sign of mourning and repentance.

[5] Dr. Richard P. Burner - Our Redeemer Lutheran Church - http://www.orlutheran.com/html/ash.html

[6] The Lives of the Saints: "We read in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast."

[7] The Lives of the Saints: https://archive.org/details/aelfricslivesof01aelf.

[Meeks-8] Season of Ash and Fire: Prayers and Liturgies for Lent and Easter BLAIR MEEKS December 01, 2013 | In recent years Christians from the Reformed branch of the Protestant tradition have begun to recover a practice that dates in the Western church at least to the tenth century. That is to begin Lent on the Wednesday before the First Sunday in Lent with a service of repentance and commitment, including the imposition of ashes. The Lutheran and Anglican traditions, of course, never lapsed in this observance, and the liturgical reforms of Vatican II have made Roman Catholic prayers and rubrics more accesible to other traditions through ecumenical dialogues.

[9] Official Lutheran History on Lenten practices - The Lutheran Missouri Synod - http://www.lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=1694.

[Kingsbury-10] Lent JACK KINGSBURY December 01, 1980 | The imposition of ashes symbolizes the penitential nature of the season of Lent. While this custom is still observed in the Roman Catholic church, and in some Lutheran and Anglican parishes, it has not been retained in Reformed churches.

[11] Lectionary Preaching Workbook RUSSELL ANDERSON January 01, 1995 | Ashes are a traditional symbol of penitence and remose. The practice of imposing ashes on the first day of Lent continues to this day in the church of Rome as well as in many Lutheran and Episcopalian quarters.

[Denominations_1-12] William P. Lazarus, Mark Sullivan. Comparative Religion For Dummies. For Dummies. Retrieved 8 March 2011. This is the day Lent begins. Christians go to church to pray and have a cross drawn in ashes on their foreheads. The ashes drawn on ancient tradition represent repentance before God. The holiday is part of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopalian liturgies, among others.

[13] The United Methodist Church website: "When did United Methodists start the "imposition of ashes" on Ash Wednesday?" retrieved March 1, 2014 | "While many think of actions such as the imposition of ashes, signing with the cross, footwashing, and the use of incense as something that only Roman Catholics or high church Episcopalians do, there has been a move among Protestant churches, including United Methodists to recover these more multisensory ways of worship."

[Brumley-14] Baptists mark Ash Wednesday JEFF BRUMLEY February 13, 2013 | While long associated with Catholic and various liturgical Protestant denominations, its observance has spread in recent years to traditions known more for avoiding liturgical seasons than embracing them.

[15] Ash Wednesday service: We pour out our brokenness - Mennonite Church MARLENE KROPF February 09, 2005 | Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent, a time of repentance and preparation for the great celebration of Easter. Observing Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season can be a way of restoring the important practices of confession and renewal in the church.

[16] Dear Abby (4 April 2013). "Wife Sees Trouble in Eyes of Husband and Store Clerk". Universal Uclick. Retrieved 4 May 2013.

[17] Ford, Penny. "Lent 101". Upper Room Ministries.

[18] "Lent and Easter". The Diocese of London. 17 March 2004.

[19] Psalm 51 is the Ash Wednesday reading in both the Revised Common Lectionary and The Catholic Lectionary.

[20] "What is the significance of ashes being placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday?". The United Methodist Church.

[21] "Responses to frequently asked questions regarding Lenten practices". Catholics United for the Faith.

[22] Code of Canon Law, canon 1170

[23] Donovan, Colin B. "Communion of Non-Catholics or Intercommunion". Eternal Word Television Network.

[24] 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 844

[25] "Pastor's Message: Ash Wednesday, An Invitation To Lent". First United Methodist Church. 28 February 2001.

[26] 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 1251

[27] 1917 Code of Canon Law, canon 1252 §§2–3

[28] The History and Meaning of Ash Wednesday DR RICHARD P. BUCHER March 01, 2014

[29] Don’t rub off your ashes, urges bishop ANNA ARCO March 013, 2011

[30] Like Religious Freedom? Wear Ashes on Wednesday! MORGAN GUYTON February 21, 2012 | I strongly believe that wearing ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday is the best way to 1) assert our religious freedom as citizens and 2) remember that our call as Christians is to be witnesses first and foremost. God doesn’t build His kingdom through petitions or angry signs or blogosphere comment wars; He has always built it through the patient witness that can only occur face to face in personal relationships.

[31] "Lent with Jesus in the desert to fight the spirit of evil". Asia News.it. 3 May 2006. Turning to the gospel of the day, which is about Jesus' 40 days in the desert, "where he overcame the temptations of Satan" (cfr Mk 1:12–13), Pope Benedict XVI exhorted Christians to follow "their Teacher and Lord to face together with Him 'the struggle against the spirit of evil'." He said: "The desert is rather an eloquent metaphor of the human condition." {{cite news}}: C1 control character in |quote= at position 218 (help)

[32] Foulkes, Richard. Church and Stage in Victorian Britain. Cambridge Univ Press. p. 34.

[33] Written Answers. – Cigarette Smoking. Dáil Éireann – Volume 475 – 18 February 1997

[34] Chronic long-term costs of COPD, Dr Jarlath Healy, Irish Medical Times, 2008

[35] Ban on smoking in cars gets Minister's support Alison Healy, The Irish Times, 2009

[36] 20% of smokers light up around their children every day Claire O'Sullivan, Irish Examiner, 2006

[37] The History of No Smoking Day, No Smoking Day website

[38] FAQ: When is No Smoking Day 2010?, No Smoking Day website

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@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 '''Ash Wednesday''' is the first day of [[Lent]] in the [[Western Christianity|Western Christian]] calendar, directly following [[Shrove Tuesday]].<ref>[http://articles.dailyamerican.com/2011-03-07/news/29155052_1_pancake-dinner-pancake-day-shrove Shrove Tuesday inspires unique church traditions KATIE WALKER] March 07, 2011</ref> Occurring 46 days before [[Easter]], it is a [[moveable feast]] that can fall as early as February 4 and as late as March 10.
-According to the [[canonical gospels]] of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]], [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]], [[Jesus]] spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he [[Temptation of Christ|endured temptation]] by [[Satan]].<ref name="UMC – Lent">{{cite web|url = http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=2870| title = What is Lent and why does it last forty days? |publisher = The United Methodist Church|accessdate = 24 August 2007| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20071007102320/http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=2870| archivedate= 7 October 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl=--~~~~ no}}</ref><ref name="The Anglican Catholic Church">{{cite web|url = http://www.anglicancatholic.org/dmas/litdescp.html| title = The Liturgical Year|publisher = The Anglican Catholic Church|accessdate = 24 August 2007| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070824050748/http://www.anglicancatholic.org/dmas/litdescp.html| archivedate= 24 August 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
+According to the [[canonical gospels]] of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]], [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]], [[Jesus Christ]] spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he [[Temptation of Christ|endured temptation]] by [[Satan]].<ref name="UMC – Lent">{{cite web|url = http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=2870| title = What is Lent and why does it last forty days? |publisher = The United Methodist Church|accessdate = 24 August 2007| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20071007102320/http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=2870| archivedate= 7 October 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl=--~~~~ no}}</ref><ref name="The Anglican Catholic Church">{{cite web|url = http://www.anglicancatholic.org/dmas/litdescp.html| title = The Liturgical Year|publisher = The Anglican Catholic Church|accessdate = 24 August 2007| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070824050748/http://www.anglicancatholic.org/dmas/litdescp.html| archivedate= 24 August 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
 Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting or abstinence. Of the 46 days until Easter, six are Sundays. As the Christian sabbath, Sundays are not included in the fasting period and are instead "feast" <!-- yes, "feast", not "fast"-->days during [[Lent]].
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 ==History==
-During the time of early [[Church Father]] [[Tertullian]], ashes and sackcloths were used as severe penance due to grave sin. Since this time, the public imposition of ashes sometime 40 days prior to Easter has been observed in the [[Roman Catholic Church]] later revised by the widespread practice of [[plenary indulgence]]s<ref>Dr. Richard P. Burner - Our Redeemer Lutheran Church - http://www.orlutheran.com/html/ash.html</ref>.
+During the time of early [[Church Father]] [[Tertullian]], ashes and sackcloths were used as severe penance due to grave sin. Ashes, mixed with sackcloths represented a gruesome image of [[penance]] and [[humiliation]]; a form of penitence associated with those who violated [[Canon Law]] in the [[early church]]. Since this time, the public imposition of ashes sometime 40 days prior to Easter has been observed in the [[Roman Catholic Church]] later revised by the widespread granting of [[plenary indulgence]]s<ref>Dr. Richard P. Burner - Our Redeemer Lutheran Church - http://www.orlutheran.com/html/ash.html</ref>.
-The [[Anglo-Saxon]] abbot [[Ælfric of Eynsham]] cites its historical existence as the [[Anglican Church]] also maintained the same pious Lenten custom since its inception. In addition, the Anglican faithful subscribe to their own Lenten [[daily devotional]]<ref name=Meeks>[http://books.google.com/books?id=--Wv5kiq-RoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Season of Ash and Fire: Prayers and Liturgies for Lent and Easter BLAIR MEEKS] December 01, 2013 | ''In recent years Christians from the Reformed branch of the Protestant tradition have begun to recover a practice that dates in the Western church at least to the tenth century. That is to begin Lent on the Wednesday before the First Sunday in Lent with a service of repentance and commitment, including the imposition of ashes. The Lutheran and Anglican traditions, of course, never lapsed in this observance, and the liturgical reforms of Vatican II have made Roman Catholic prayers and rubrics more accesible to other traditions through ecumenical dialogues.''</ref> while [[Lutheran]] Christians after the [[Reformation]] temporarily refrained from the practice, and later reinstated the imposition of ashes in the mid-20th century<ref>Official Lutheran History on Lenten practices - The Lutheran Missouri Synod - http://www.lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=1694.</ref><ref name=Kingsbury>[http://books.google.com/books?id=mi1I4v1KDhEC&q Lent JACK KINGSBURY] December 01, 1980 | ''The imposition of ashes symbolizes the penitential nature of the season of Lent. While this custom is still observed in the Roman Catholic church, and in some Lutheran and Anglican parishes, it has not been retained in Reformed churches.''</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=GbHjXgDWZdwC&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q&f=false Lectionary Preaching Workbook RUSSELL ANDERSON] January 01, 1995 | ''Ashes are a traditional symbol of penitence and remose. The practice of imposing ashes on the first day of Lent continues to this day in the church of Rome as well as in many Lutheran and Episcopalian quarters.''</ref>
+The esteemed [[Anglo-Saxon]] abbot [[Ælfric of Eynsham]] cites its historical practice during his own lifetime<ref>''The Lives of the Saints: "We read in the books both in the Old Law and in the New that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast."</ref>. He further added in his book, ''The Lives of the Saints'',  a pious tale of an unrepentant man who refused to receive ashes on a "mid-week" and was killed afterwards in a [[boar]] hunt.<ref>The Lives of the Saints: https://archive.org/details/aelfricslivesof01aelf. </ref>
+Accordingly, the [[Anglican Church]] also maintained the same pious Lenten custom since its inception. In addition, the Anglican faithful subscribe to their own Lenten [[daily devotional]]<ref name=Meeks>[http://books.google.com/books?id=--Wv5kiq-RoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Season of Ash and Fire: Prayers and Liturgies for Lent and Easter BLAIR MEEKS] December 01, 2013 | ''In recent years Christians from the Reformed branch of the Protestant tradition have begun to recover a practice that dates in the Western church at least to the tenth century. That is to begin Lent on the Wednesday before the First Sunday in Lent with a service of repentance and commitment, including the imposition of ashes. The Lutheran and Anglican traditions, of course, never lapsed in this observance, and the liturgical reforms of Vatican II have made Roman Catholic prayers and rubrics more accesible to other traditions through ecumenical dialogues.''</ref> while [[Lutheran]] Christians after the [[Reformation]] temporarily refrained from the practice, and later reinstated the imposition of ashes in the mid-20th century<ref>Official Lutheran History on Lenten practices - The Lutheran Missouri Synod - http://www.lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=1694.</ref><ref name=Kingsbury>[http://books.google.com/books?id=mi1I4v1KDhEC&q Lent JACK KINGSBURY] December 01, 1980 | ''The imposition of ashes symbolizes the penitential nature of the season of Lent. While this custom is still observed in the Roman Catholic church, and in some Lutheran and Anglican parishes, it has not been retained in Reformed churches.''</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=GbHjXgDWZdwC&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q&f=false Lectionary Preaching Workbook RUSSELL ANDERSON] January 01, 1995 | ''Ashes are a traditional symbol of penitence and remose. The practice of imposing ashes on the first day of Lent continues to this day in the church of Rome as well as in many Lutheran and Episcopalian quarters.''</ref>
 After the [[ecumenical]] dialogues ushered by the [[Second Vatican Council]], the practice has also become a standard practice in the [[Methodist Church]].<ref name="Denominations 1">{{cite book|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=oTtcFiGbW2kC&pg=PA98&dq=lent+lutheran+catholic+methodist&hl=en&ei=4NF2Tf3LLsL_rAGmtoBf&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=lent%20lutheran%20catholic%20methodist&f=false| title = Comparative Religion For Dummies|author=William P. Lazarus, Mark Sullivan|publisher = [[For Dummies]]|quote=This is the day Lent begins. Christians go to church to pray and have a cross drawn in ashes on their foreheads. The ashes drawn on ancient tradition represent repentance before God. The holiday is part of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopalian liturgies, among others.|accessdate = 8 March 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=16&mid=6710 The United Methodist Church website: "When did United Methodists start the "imposition of ashes" on Ash Wednesday?"] retrieved March 1, 2014 | ''"While many think of actions such as the imposition of ashes, signing with the cross, footwashing, and the use of incense as something that only Roman Catholics or high church Episcopalians do, there has been a move among Protestant churches, including United Methodists to recover these more multisensory ways of worship.''"</ref> In addition to these liturgical [[Christian denominations|denominations]],<ref name=Brumley/> some [[Anabaptist]] and [[Continental Reformed church|Reformed]] churches, which abandoned the practice after the [[Reformation]], now also observe this day,<ref name=Meeks/><ref>[http://resources.mennonitechurch.ca/FileDownload/2015/AshWednesday2005.pdf Ash Wednesday service: We pour out our brokenness - Mennonite Church MARLENE KROPF] February 09, 2005 | ''Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent, a time of repentance and preparation for the great celebration of Easter.  Observing Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season can be a way of restoring the important practices of confession and renewal in the church.''</ref> which has become [[Ash_Wednesday#Observing_denominations|widespread]] in much of [[Christendom]]<ref name=Brumley>[http://www.abpnews.com/ministry/congregations/item/8214-baptists-mark-ash-wednesday-today#.Uw7ny7_C18E Baptists mark Ash Wednesday JEFF BRUMLEY] February 13, 2013 | ''While long associated with Catholic and various liturgical Protestant denominations, its observance has spread in recent years to traditions known more for avoiding liturgical seasons than embracing them.''</ref>.

v t e Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States
January	New Year's Day (federal) Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (federal) Birthday of Eugenio María de Hostos (PR) Confederate Heroes Day (TX) Eve of Three Kings' Day (PR, religious) Feast of Epiphany / Feast of Theophany (religious) Fred Korematsu Day (AZ, CA, FL, HI, VA) Idaho Human Rights Day (ID) Inauguration Day (federal quadrennial) Kansas Day (KS) Makar Sankranti / Pongal (religious) Robert E. Lee Day (FL) Stephen Foster Memorial Day (36) The Eighth (LA) Three Kings' Day (PR, VI, religious) World Religion Day (religious)
January–February	Super Bowl Sunday Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year (NY, cultural, religious) Vasant Panchami (religious)
February American Heart Month Black History Month	Washington's Birthday (federal) Valentine's Day Birthday of Luis Muñoz Marín (PR) Candlemas (religious) Charles Darwin Day / Darwin Day (CA, DE) Day of Remembrance (CA, OR, WA, cultural) Georgia Day (GA) Groundhog Day Imbolc (religious) Lincoln's Birthday (CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NY, WV) National Girls and Women in Sports Day National Freedom Day (36) Nirvana Day (religious) Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (religious) Promised Reformer Day (religious) Ronald Reagan Day (CA) Rosa Parks Day (CA, MO) Saviours' Day (religious) Susan B. Anthony Day (CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal) Tu B’shvat (religious)
February–March	Mardi Gras Ash Wednesday (PR, religious) Carnival (PR, VI, religious) Clean Monday (religious) Courir de Mardi Gras (religious) Intercalary Days (religious) Mahashivaratri (religious) Purim (religious) Shrove Tuesday (religious) Super Tuesday
March Irish-American Heritage Month Colon Cancer Awareness Month Women's History Month	Saint Patrick's Day (religious) Spring break (week) Annunciation of the Virgin Mary / Annunciation of the Theotokos (religious) Casimir Pulaski Day (IL) Cesar Chavez Day (CA, CO, TX, proposed federal) Emancipation Day in Puerto Rico (PR, cultural) Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, MA) Harriet Tubman Day (NY) Hola Mohalla (religious) Holi (NY, religious) L. Ron Hubbard's Birthday (religious) Lailat al-Mi'raj (religious) Liberation and Freedom Day (Charlottesville, VA, cultural) Mardi Gras (AL (in two counties), LA) Maryland Day (MD) Medal of Honor Day National Poison Prevention Week (week) Nowruz (cultural, religious) Ostara (religious) Pi Day Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day (HI) Promised Messiah Day (religious) Saint Joseph's Day (religious) Seward's Day (AK) Texas Independence Day (TX) Town Meeting Day (VT) Transfer Day (VI) Trans Day of Visibility (cultural)
March–April	Easter (religious) Good Friday (CT, NC, PR, NJ, VI, religious) Hanuman Jayanti (religious) Holy Thursday (PR, VI, religious) Holy Week (PR, religious, week) Lazarus Saturday (religious) Mahavir Janma Kalyanak (religious) Mesha Sankranti / Hindu New Year (religious) Palm Sunday (PR, religious) Passover (religious, week) Easter Monday / Bright Monday (VI, religious) Ramnavami (religious) Chandramana Uugadi / Souramana Uugadi (religious)
April Arab American Heritage Month Confederate History Month	420 April Fools' Day Arbor Day Birthday of José de Diego (PR) Confederate Memorial Day (AL, MS) Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust (week) Earth Day Emancipation Day (cultural) Thomas Jefferson's Birthday (AL) Lag B’Omer (religious) Last Friday of Great Lent (religious) Pascua Florida (FL) Patriots' Day (MA, ME) Ridván (religious) San Jacinto Day (TX) Siblings Day Walpurgis Night (religious) Yom Ha'atzmaut (cultural, religious)
May Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Jewish American Heritage Month Military Appreciation Month	Memorial Day (federal) Mother's Day (36) Cinco de Mayo Ascension of Baháʼu'lláh (religious) Ascension of Our Lord (religious) Caliphate Day (religious) Declaration of the Bab (religious) Harvey Milk Day (CA) International Workers' Day / May Day (CA, unofficial, proposed state) Law Day (36) Loyalty Day (36) Malcolm X Day (CA, IL, proposed federal) Military Spouse Day National Day of Prayer (36) National Day of Reason National Defense Transportation Day (36) National Maritime Day (36) Peace Officers Memorial Day (36) Pentecost (religious) Shavuot (religious) Truman Day (MO) Vesak / Buddha's Birthday (religious)
June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month	Juneteenth (federal, cultural) Father's Day (36) Bunker Hill Day (Suffolk County, MA) Carolina Day (SC) Don Young Day (AK) Fast of the Holy Apostles (religious) Flag Day (36, proposed federal) Helen Keller Day (PA) Honor America Days (3 weeks) Jefferson Davis Day (AL, FL) Kamehameha Day (HI) Litha (religious) Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (religious) Odunde Festival (Philadelphia, PA, cultural) Senior Week (week) Saint John's Day (PR, religious) West Virginia Day (WV)
July	Independence Day (federal) Asalha Puja Day (religious) Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera (PR) Birthday of Dr. José Celso Barbosa (PR) Emancipation Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands (VI, cultural) Guru Purnima (religious) Khordad Sal (religious) Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (HI, unofficial, cultural) Martyrdom of the Báb (religious) Parents' Day (36) Pioneer Day (UT) Puerto Rico Constitution Day (PR)
July–August	Summer vacation Tisha B'Av (religious)
August	American Family Day (AZ) Barack Obama Day in Illinois (IL) Bennington Battle Day (VT) Dormition of the Theotokos (religious) Eid-e-Ghadeer (religious) Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus (religious) Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (religious) Hawaii Admission Day / Statehood Day (HI) Krishna Janmashtami (religious) Lammas (religious) Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (TX) Naga Panchami (religious) National Aviation Day (36) Paryushana (religious) Raksha Bandhan (religious) Transfiguration of the Lord (religious) Victory Day (RI) Women's Equality Day (36)
September Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Childhood Cancer Awareness Month	Labor Day (federal) Brazilian Day (NY, cultural) California Admission Day (CA) Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day (36) Constitution Day (36) Constitution Week Defenders Day (MD) Elevation of the Holy Cross (religious) Feast of San Gennaro (NY, cultural, religious) Ganesh Chaturthi (religious) Gold Star Mother's Day (36) His Holiness Sakya Trizin's Birthday (religious) Mabon (religious) National Grandparents Day (36) National Payroll Week (week) Nativity of Mary / Nativity of the Theotokos (religious) Native American Day (proposed federal) Patriot Day (36) Von Steuben Day
September–October Hispanic Heritage Month	Chehlum Imam Hussain (religious) Oktoberfest Pitri Paksha (religious) Rosh Hashanah / Feast of Trumpets (TX, NY, religious) Shemini Atzeret (religious) Simchat Torah (religious) Vijaya Dashami (religious) Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement (TX, NY, religious)
October Breast Cancer Awareness Month Disability Employment Awareness Month Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month Filipino American History Month LGBT History Month	Columbus Day (federal) Halloween Alaska Day (AK) Child Health Day (36) General Pulaski Memorial Day German-American Day Indigenous Peoples' Day International Day of Non-Violence Leif Erikson Day (36) Missouri Day (MO) Nanomonestotse (cultural) National School Lunch Week (week) Native American Day in South Dakota (SD) Nevada Day (NV) Spirit Day (cultural) Sweetest Day Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles (religious, week) Virgin Islands–Puerto Rico Friendship Day (PR, VI) White Cane Safety Day (36)
October–November	Birth of the Báb (religious) Birth of Baháʼu'lláh (religious) Day of the Dead (VI) Diwali (NY, religious) Mawlid al-Nabi (religious)
November Native American Indian Heritage Month	Veterans Day (federal) Thanksgiving (federal) Ascension of ‘Abdu’l Baha (religious) All Saints' Day (religious) Beginning of the Nativity Fast (religious) Beltane / Samhain (religious) Barack Obama Day in Alabama (Perry County, AL) D. Hamilton Jackson Day (VI) Day after Thanksgiving (24) Day of the Covenant (religious) Discovery of Puerto Rico Day (PR) Election Day (CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, VA, WV, proposed federal) Family Day (NV) Guru Nanak Gurpurab (religious) Hanukkah (religious) Lā Kūʻokoʻa (HI, unofficial, cultural) Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur (religious) Native American Heritage Day (MD, WA, cultural) Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple (religious) Trans Day of Remembrance (cultural) Unthanksgiving Day (cultural)
December	Christmas (religious, federal) New Year's Eve Advent Sunday (religious) Alabama Day (AL) Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (religious) Bodhi Day (religious) Chalica (religious) Christmas Eve (KY, NC, SC, PR, VI) Day after Christmas (KY, NC, SC, TX, VI) Festivus HumanLight Hanukkah (religious, week) Immaculate Conception (religious) Indiana Day (IN) Kwanzaa (cultural, week) Milad Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (religious) National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (36) Nativity of Jesus (religious) Old Year's Night (VI) Pan American Aviation Day (36) Pancha Ganapati (religious, week) Rosa Parks Day (OH, OR) Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (religious) Wright Brothers Day (36) Yule (religious) Zartosht No-Diso (religious)
Varies (year round)	Eid al-Adha (NY, religious) Eid al-Fitr (NY, religious) Islamic New Year (religious) Yawm al-Arafa (religious) Hajj (religious) Laylat al-Qadr (religious) Navaratri (religious, four times a year) Obon (religious) Onam (religious) Ramadan (religious, month) Ghost Festival (religious) Yawm Aashura (religious)
Legend: (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies See also: Lists of holidays, Hallmark holidays, Public holidays in the United States, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.