My Afflation

Symbolism of the ashes The marking of their forehead with a cross made of ashes reminds each churchgoer that: Death comes to everyone They should be sad for their sins They must change themselves for the better God made the first human being by breathing life into dust, and without God, human beings are nothing more than dust and ashes The shape of the mark and the words used are symbolic in other ways: The cross is a reminder of the mark of the cross made at baptism The phrase often used when the ashes are administered reminds Christians of the doctrine of original sin The cross of ashes may symbolise the way Christ's sacrifice on the cross as atonement for sin replaces the Old Testament tradition of making burnt offerings to atone for sin Where the ashes come from The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made by burning the palm crosses that were blessed on the previous Palm Sunday. Ashes can also be bought from Church suppliers. A bag of ashes big enough for 1000 people costs aro...

Someone asked... What is Fat Tuesday? Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, the festival New Orleans, Louisiana, is famous for. "Gras" is French for fat and "Mardi" is French for Tuesday. The annual festivities start on January 6, the Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany, when the three kings are supposed to have visited the Christ Child, and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday. The parties and parades will continue until Lent begins at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday. Mardi Gras is a legal holiday in New Orleans. It is scheduled to occur 46 days before Easter. Since the actual date Easter occurs on changes yearly, Mardi Gras can happen on any Tuesday between February 3 and March 9. For two centuries it has been an annual event in New Orleans, except during the two World Wars. More info can also be found at this site .