Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday. Did you know that?

I didn't, until I got to work and was speaking with one of the ladies. Earlier, I saw her fiddling with the copy machine before we spoke. As we were speaking, I noticed a black and gray smudge on her forehead. And, thinking it was toner, I told her.

"It's Ash Wednesday," she said.

"Oh," I said.

"Yeah," She said.

And I walked away.

I always thought that those Ash Wednesday people were supposed to have a cross put on their forehead, not a smudge. My guess is that she couldn't stop herself from playing with it and she smeared it all over.

After the awkward conversation, I looked Ash Wednesday up on Wikipedia to find out what, exactly, the ashes symbolize and where the use of the ashes came from. What, I wanted to know, are the origins of Ash Wednesday?

Wikipedia was very little help to me. It says something about the ashes have something to do with reminding people that they are really nothing ("Remember, man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.") which really doesn't seem to jive with all the stuff Jesus was talking about. There's also the suggestion that it's a penance, but if it's something that all "good" Christians do and they're proud of it, is it really a penance?

Besides, what was Jesus doing 46 days before he escaped his tome and said "Hey." to some guys he knew? Was he rolling around in some cinders making an ash of himself? I doubt it.

I'd like to know, in 500 words or less (less would be preferable), how Ash Wednesday started, why the ashes go on the forehead, what this has to do with a good guy getting nailed to a tree for saying we should all just get along?

I'll do my best not to get this way on Palm Sunday, but I still wonder, is it okay for normal people to walk on the palm fronds on that day, or are they only meant as a symbolic welcoming of Jesus into the churches? (Which seems odd to my. Why only welcome Jesus into your church one day a year?)