Make sure the container is wider than it is tall, or you might have difficulty reaching in with your thumb to get the ashes. So you can forego such fancy stuff and just use a custard dish or some other small container to hold the ashes. However, a make-shift container is certainly in keeping with the penitential nature of the service. It can be quite costly, depending on the style and materials.
If you want to get fancy, you can buy a special ash pyx to contain the ashes.
When you are up there in front of the congregation, you can’t just hold the ashes in your hand! You have to have some sort of container. A small package about the size of your thumb will do for all but the most humongous congregations. Traditionally, the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service are created by burning the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday service, but most churches nowadays just purchase the ashes from a church supply house. The purpose of this rite is to remind people of their mortality and thus the necessity for repentance. Teachings, worship, rites, sermons, and terminology
