Most churches get the Ash Wednesday ashes by burning the blessed palm branches that were used at the previous year’s Palm Sunday services.

Quick Scoop: Where do they get the ashes for Ash Wednesday?

Main source of the ashes

  • The usual source is last year’s Palm Sunday palms, which were blessed and handed out in church.
  • After Palm Sunday, many parishes store leftover palms or collect the ones people bring back from home instead of throwing them away, because blessed items should be disposed of respectfully.
  • Close to Lent (often on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday), the palms are burned in a controlled fire until they become a fine ash.
  • The ashes are then sifted so there are no sharp bits, and in many places they are mixed with a little holy water or sacred oil (chrism) to form a paste that goes on the forehead in the sign of the cross.

Can churches just buy ashes?

  • Yes, some parishes buy ready‑made ashes from religious‑goods suppliers instead of burning their own palms, especially if they need large quantities or want a consistent, fine texture.
  • Those suppliers usually also start from blessed palm branches or palms intended for liturgical use, often grown in warmer regions like parts of the southern United States.

Why palms from Palm Sunday?

  • Using Palm Sunday palms links two big moments in the Christian year:
    • Palm Sunday remembers Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, when crowds welcomed him with palm branches.
    • Ash Wednesday begins Lent, a season of repentance and preparation for Easter.
  • Burning the palms that once symbolized celebration and turning them into ashes of repentance underlines the message Christians hear that day: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” and “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

Do all churches do it the same way?

  • In many U.S. and European parishes, the ashes are applied as a dark paste on the forehead in the shape of a cross.
  • In some other countries, ministers sprinkle dry ashes on top of a person’s head instead of drawing a cross on the forehead, which follows older biblical signs of mourning.
  • Some communities also invite schoolchildren or parishioners to a small service where they watch the palms being burned, as a way to teach the meaning of Lent.

In short, when people ask “where do they get the ashes for Ash Wednesday,” the answer is: from the burned palm branches of last year’s Palm Sunday—sometimes prepared locally, sometimes bought from church suppliers, but always meant as a visible sign of repentance and the start of Lent.

TL;DR:
The ashes for Ash Wednesday almost always come from burning the blessed palm branches used on the previous Palm Sunday, then grinding and sometimes mixing them with holy water or oil; some churches instead buy pre‑prepared ashes from religious suppliers.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.