Ash Wednesday

In western Christian churches (including the Roman Catholic Church and Protestantism), Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the annual ecclesiastical liturgy. This day is determined to be Wednesday, 40 days before Easter without counting Sundays, or 44 days (including Sundays) before Good Friday. 

On that day the people who come to the Church are marked with a cross from the ashes on their foreheads as a symbol of this ceremony. This symbol reminded people of ancient Israelite rituals in which a person sprinkled ashes on his head or all over his body as a sign of sorrow, remorse, and repentance (eg as in the Book of Esther, namely Esther 4:1, 3). In Psalm 102:10 remorse is also described by "eating ashes":

 "For I eat ashes like bread, and mix my drink with weeping." 

Usually, the giving of the sign is accompanied by the words, "Repent and believe in the gospel." 

Often on this day,, the readings in the Church are taken from the Bible part of the book 2 Samuel 11-12, about King David committing adultery and repenting.

Many Catholics consider Ash Wednesday as a day to remember one's mortality. Today Catholics aged 18–59 are required to fast, with a limit of one full meal,

Calendar

Ash Wednesday falls on the following dates in the coming years:

2012 - February 22

2013 — February 13

2014 - March 5

2015 - February 18

2016 — February 10

2017 — March 1

2018 — February 14

2019 — March 6

2020 — February 26

2021 — February 17

2022 — March 2

In many Roman Catholic countries in Europe and the Americas, Ash Wednesday is preceded by a carnival period (including e.g. Mardi Gras) that ends on Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday.