Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent* (Lent is the 40 day period before Easter Sunday, excluding Sundays and a few minor variations in the church calendar). On Ash Wednesday ashes are placed onto the foreheads of the faithful in the sign of the cross to remind them of Christ's death, of the sorrow one should feel for his or her sins, and of the necessity of repenting, which is turning from sin and turning to God. The ashes are obtained from burned palm branches from the Palm Sunday of the previous year.Many believe the practice of placing ashes onto the forehead began in 1091 A.D. by the Roman Catholic church. However, the custom of placing ashes onto the head as a sign of repentance dates back to Old Testament times: "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: 'O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.'"

Daniel 9:3-5. (See also, Esther 4:1-3, Job 2:8; 4:2-6, and Isaiah 58:5)