Sprinkled over the head, like pixie dust, says Father Christopher Arnold from Trinity Episcopal Church in Oshkosh.
That’s how some Christian clergy will be delivering ashes to believers on Ash Wednesday, as they recite the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day season of prayer and reflection for Christians leading up to Easter.
For many, the worship tradition includes receiving the mark of a cross, drawn on their foreheads, using ashes made from palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
This year, the ongoing pandemic has brought changes in religious protocol, and many leaders of the faithful are coming up with creative ways to safely deliver the Lenten ritual.