CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Ash Wednesday and mud season? New Hampshire’s Episcopal bishop sees a connection.
Christians observe Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, by placing ashes on their foreheads as a reminder of human mortality and repentance. The Rev. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop of New Hampshire, says the ashes also can be seen as the hope for Spring, which is also jokingly called “Mud Season” in the northeast.
Hirschfeld says by putting “mud” on their faces, participants signal their confidence that God will bring Spring, and that they will be recreated in the same way God created them, out of dust.
The leaders of several New Hampshire churches will participate in a national “ashes to go” project on Wednesday, making ashes available to passers-by outside the Statehouse from noon to 2 p.m.
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