When does Lent start in 2026?

Lent in 2026 begins on Ash Wednesday, which falls on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 (ET). The observance launches the Western Christian Lenten season leading up to Easter, and this cycle of worship and reflection will culminate with Easter Sunday on April 5, 2026 (ET).

Key dates for the 2026 Lenten season

Here are the principal dates to mark on calendars in Eastern Time (ET):

• Ash Wednesday: Feb. 18, 2026 (ET). The day that traditionally marks the start of Lent in Western churches.
• Lenten period: Begins Feb. 18 and runs through Thursday, April 2, 2026 (ET). The forty-day penitential season is observed in a way that counts forty days of fasting and prayer, with Sundays treated distinctly in traditional practice.
• Good Friday: April 3, 2026 (ET). The day commemorating the Crucifixion in Western liturgical calendars.
• Easter Sunday: April 5, 2026 (ET). The central feast of the Christian year celebrating the Resurrection.
• Orthodox Great Lent (approximate): Feb. 23–April 11, 2026 (ET). Eastern Christian calendars often follow a different timetable for Pascha.

What Ash Wednesday means — and why it draws a crowd

Ash Wednesday is the visible opening of Lent: many churches distribute ashes on the forehead in the sign of the cross, and the gesture functions as both a public marker of faith and a personal invitation to repentance. The ashes themselves are traditionally made from the palms blessed on the previous Palm Sunday, and the practice of marking penitents with ashes traces back centuries.

For many worshippers the ashes are an unmistakable identity marker — a short, tangible way to declare participation in the season of penance and preparation. Research tracking Mass attendance from 2019 through 2024 finds Ash Wednesday often rivals Christmas and Easter in turnout; in some recent years, Ash Wednesday attendance has even topped Christmas Mass numbers. That surge reflects a mix of motives: some come for a brief, solemn ritual; others appreciate the public affirmation of religious identity; and many are drawn by the season’s themes of mortality, repentance and renewal.

The symbolism is plain and often jarring: the ash smudge evokes fragility and mortality and calls worshippers to spiritual reflection. Historically, the rite grew out of penitential practice and has been retained as a way to prompt interior conversion. Clergy and liturgists emphasize that the external mark should lead to inward change — acts of prayer, fasting and charity that prepare participants for Holy Week and Easter.

Notably, Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation in many Western traditions, yet attendance remains high. That pattern suggests the day’s ritual power persists even when religious obligations are relaxed: a short sacramental act can convey communal identity and deep spiritual signification simultaneously.

Practical notes for observers and planners

If you plan to participate in Ash Wednesday services in 2026, expect crowded pews and a brief ritual of imposition of ashes. Many parishes and congregations schedule multiple services to accommodate the influx. The season that follows is often observed through personal disciplines — fasting, giving up particular pleasures, increased prayer, or charitable work — with Holy Week services intensifying observance as Easter approaches.

Whether observed as a devotional season or a cultural marker, Lent 2026 begins Feb. 18 (ET) and moves communities through a concentrated period of reflection that concludes with the Triduum and Easter celebrations in early April (ET).