Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is a moveable fast day that occurs 46 days before Easter. It is also the first day of Lent. There are many references in the Bible where ashes were used to show mourning for sins and repentance to God. It is a tradition of the liturgical churches to burn the palms leftover from the previous year's Palm Sunday. Those ashes are then used the next year for Ash Wednesday.
In the Episcopal church, the Priest will make the sign of a cross with the ashes on the foreheads of the members of the parish and will say,"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." from Genesis. Some places there will be a smudge on the forehead. Most people will just let the ashes wear off. In any case, one must remember the ashes have been blessed and are to be treated as such.
In the Episcopal church, the Priest will make the sign of a cross with the ashes on the foreheads of the members of the parish and will say,"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." from Genesis. Some places there will be a smudge on the forehead. Most people will just let the ashes wear off. In any case, one must remember the ashes have been blessed and are to be treated as such.