On a crisp February day, the smell of burning leaves can seem somewhat out of place.

While the smoke might rekindle memories of autumn, the scene occurs in winter as churches prepare for Ash Wednesday.

Beginning the season of Lent, Ash Wednesday includes services in which attendees are blessed with ashes. Spreading ash on the parishioners' foreheads stems from biblical instances of throwing ash upward to signify repentance before God.

Although the source of the ashes is not usually stipulated by the church, in cases like St. Ferdinand Roman Catholic Church in Cranberry Township, the ashes are made by burning palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday.

"Its done quietly," said the Rev. Joseph Newell of St. Ferdinand, explaining the task is typically done without ceremony at the convenience of the church custodian.

Despite the lack of ceremony, the burning itself derives from the fact that palms are classified as sacramentals, or blessed items.

Traditionally, blessed items are disposed of by burning or burial, so recycling the palms into ashes makes sense, said the Rev. Pierre "Bud" Falkenhan, pastor at St. Peter Roman Catholic Church on Franklin Street, which also recycles its palms into ashes.

"For Catholics, anything blessed has a special meaning. Because it has a special meaning, it is not just thrown away," Falkenhan said.

At St. Peter's Episcopal Church on East Jefferson Street, palms are also burned to make ashes. But unlike many churches, St. Peter's offers a service around the activity.

"We actually have a little service — we have a pancake supper that evening," said the Rev. Bruce Geary, pastor at St. Peter's. "We have a liturgy. As we burn them we say some prayers."

St. Peter's isn't the only church that deviates from the norm. While ash services have long been associated with liturgical faiths like the Catholics and Orthodox — other groups have begun to participate.

Also described as liturgical, some Lutheran churches distribute ashes, but some clergymen say the trend is increasing.

"I've been here about 19 years, and I've only recently started the practice," said the Rev. James Dollhopf, pastor at First English Lutheran Church on Main Street.

"In the past it was seen as more of coming out of the Catholic tradition," he said, explaining the practice was launched at his church in the last two years.

"I talked it over with the congregation, and we felt this was a way of expressing our faith."

Dollhopf said he also places more emphasis on a renewed relationship with God than on self-denial during Lent — an offshoot of the traditional theme.

Another church that has begun to deviate from convention is the West Sunbury United Presbyterian Church, which began distributing ashes in the last five years.

"For a lot of years … the observance of Lent was not something that Presbyterians and most Protestants did: We just didn't do that," said the Rev. Wayne Bell, pastor at West Sunbury. "But during the last decade, more and more protestant — more and more Presbyterian — churches have been going back to the Lenten season and recapturing some of the meanings behind it."

Bell said reasons for the new trend could stem from commercialism that sometimes overpowers other spiritual holidays.

"Christmas in many ways is more about Santa. Easter is more about a spring holiday than the actual resurrection of Jesus, so the church is seeking ways to connect with people spiritually," he said.

Although smaller, nondenominational groups are also adopting the tradition, some meet in rented or borrowed buildings, which can pose a challenge for hosting the weekday services.

New Life Christian Ministries, which meets at Knoch High School, is one such church.

Like many congregations, New Life purchases ashes that are packaged specifically for religious use — eliminating the need for a burning site.

But since the school is unavailable on weekday nights, the church could not host an Ash Wednesday service there.

To resolve the problem, New Life will host a service at the Outlook Pointe nursing care center in Saxonburg.

As well as serving its own congregation of about 200, the group will provide a service to Outlook Pointe residents.

"It's a way not only of observance from our members, but to be in the community as well. Because that's one of our goals — to help people in the community to know God," said Chris Marshall, senior pastor at the church.

"Basically, we want to affirm the traditions that point to Jesus — that point to our commitment to him. We see Ash Wednesday as one more opportunity for worshiping and celebrating his presence in our lives."