Priests on Twitter and Instagram are observing the solemn Christian holiday of Ash Wednesday by posting ashtags -- a new type of holy selfie that shows the day's ceremonial ashes they received on their foreheads.
The holiday -- and the ashes that come with it -- marks the arrival of Lent, a 40-day period that precedes Easter in which Christians fast and repent for their sins. (The younger ones spend most of it tentatively avoiding chocolate and awaiting the Easter Bunny.)
The ashtag selfie tradition, however, is a relatively new one in the history of Christianity. Catholics shared the selfies using #ashtag and #showyourash hashtags last year.
But not everyone's on board with the idea.
One Catholic nun said it seemed like a conflict between Christian ideals: "'Let your light shine' and 'do not let others see you are fasting.'"
"I've racked my brain trying to justify, theologically or otherwise, #ashtag & public displays of ashes. I've got nothin'," added Greg Hillis, associate professor of Theology at Bellarmine University, in a tweet on Wednesday morning. "If people find it meaningful to trumpet their inevitable death on social media, I'm not opposed. Just strikes me as odd," he added.
"Something about letting your good deeds be seen by God rather than paraded on Twitter," another tweeted.
Still, some priests, nuns and worshippers shared the photos throughout the morning, indicating it's the now two-year-old trend might be here to stay.
Here are some of Mashable's favorites ashtag selfies.
#AshTag, where's yours? #Lent #AshWednesday A photo posted by Andrew Boyd (@boydspace) on Feb 18, 2015 at 5:35am PST
#ashtag Lent 2015 A photo posted by Joshua Madrid (@simply_catholic) on Feb 18, 2015 at 5:48am PST
Rejoice and Repent!! @USCCB #ASHTAG #Lent2015 @thenorthface pic.twitter.com/aj7QlzMVp8— Fr. Chris Dunlap (@cjdunlap) February 18, 2015
Have a holy # #ashtag pic.twitter.com/NUZdwzqdfk— LeSuisseRom@in (@LeSuisse_Romain) February 18, 2015
ITS ASH WEDNESDAY! SHOW ME YOUR ASHES!!! #AshWednesday #ashtag pic.twitter.com/A7xGWS5a8b— Father Jim Sichko (@JimSichko) February 18, 2015
How's your #ashtag ? pic.twitter.com/N7SHHf59h6— Fr. Kyle Schnippel (@fatherschnippel) February 18, 2015
How long do you think it will take my church warden to realise that I mix my ashes with superglue? #ashtag pic.twitter.com/JsT8zygONu— Arts Chaplain (@JamesOMCraig) February 18, 2015
@USCCB #ashtag pic.twitter.com/rgJagMGrTr— StStephensDroylsden (@RCStStephens) February 18, 2015