Ash Wednesday 2015 lands on February 18th, marking the first day of Lent, which lasts until Holy Saturday on April 4th, 2015. Easter falls on April 5th this year and Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter. Lent is the season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter. In Eastern Catholic Churches, the first day of Lent is called Clean Monday and it occurs on the 23rd of February. According to AboutReligion.com:
While all Roman Catholics are encouraged to attend Mass on Ash Wednesday in order to begin the Lenten season with the proper attitude and reflection, Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation. It is, however, a day of fasting and abstinence.
On Ash Wednesday, you may see people walking around with crosses drawn on their foreheads. Priests and ministers distribute ashes by putting crosses on foreheads to represent human mortality. Lifeteen writes why observers put ashes on their foreheads, writing:
Ash Wednesday begins Lent, a time when we stop and assess how we’re doing in our walk with God. Lent helps us identify spiritual areas in which we can grow and sinful areas that we need to avoid. To repent, put simply, means to turn away from sin and turn toward God. We use ashes as an outward expression of our need to begin again.
Ash Wednesday was originally known as Days of Ashes and it is not a biblical commandment, so people are free to observe or not observe the day.