Ash Wednesday is a day away and begins the Christian season of Lent. The 6-week period that leads up to Easter. What we know on date, meaning and more.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of the season of Lent that leads up to Good Friday and Easter. What to know about the day.

Ash Wednesday falls on Wednesday, March 5 this year. In Western churches, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a period of spiritual reflection before Easter. Lent runs through April 17, 2025. Palm Sunday, the first day of the Holy Week which commemorates Jesus Christ's entry to Jerusalem, is on Sunday, April 13, 2025.

Why is Easter 2025 so late this year? When is Easter Sunday date? What day does Lent start? What we know on Holy Week, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and more.

Lent is a 40-day season of prayer and fasting observed by Christians. Lent will start on Ash Wednesday, March 5. It ends on Maundy Thursday, on April 17, the day before Good Friday.

The dates of the Jewish holiday of Passover are also based on a lunar calendar and change year to year. In 2025, Passover begins before sundown on Saturday, April 12, 2025, and ends after nightfall on April 20, 2025. Passover, or Pesach, commemorates the Israelites exodus from Egypt.

In 2025, Easter will be on April 20 this year. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, it is a “movable feast” that can happen between March 22 and April 25 on the Gregorian calendar. On the Julian calendar, used by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Easter can be between April 4 and May 8.

Whether you’re a devout observer, a curious onlooker, or someone who just loves learning about traditions, this day is packed with history, symbolism, and powerful lessons about renewal and sacrifice.