Ash Wednesday’s changing tradition

By Francisco Guzman and Pete Burn, CNNUpdated 1210 GMT (2010 HKT) February 26, 2020 Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, repentance and fasting for many Christians.(CNN)Are you ready to give up caffeine for 40 days? What about your social media accounts? While giving up those things may seem hard for you, Christians long ago used to give up a whole lot more. Ash Wednesday is today. It marks the first day of Lent in Western churches. The ashes symbolize penance and the dust from which God made people. When priests mark Christian’s forehead with the ashes they often say, “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”