Burning Palm Fronds for Ash Wednesday

These are palm fronds from Palm Sunday last year. (We didn't actually have any saved, so we got these from an area church.) They're dried out since they are a year old. We burn them and use the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service, which is coming up!

They burn easily because they are so dry.

Once they were all burned, Jonathan scooped up all the ashes and ran them through a sieve.

You might want to wear a glove or use a brush, and not touch the ashes with your bare hands, but Jonathan lives dangerously.

The result is a fine powder! To this, a small amount of oil will be added and it will be ready to make the cross mark on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday!