An Irish Ash Wednesday tradition (the day after Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Tuesday/Mardi Gras – the first day of Lent) is going to morning mass before work or school and getting damp ash daubed on your forehead – to remind you of your mortality – the priest mutters “ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”. This year, in my home town, some enterprising priests hit the streets to bring ashes to the masses as they went about their daily lives. My sister sent me a photo.