Lent 2026: Key dates, why Ash Wednesday draws crowds and how believers observe the season
Christians worldwide will enter Lent earlier in 2026 than in 2025, with Ash Wednesday beginning the season on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 (ET). The 40-day period of prayer, fasting and reflection runs through Thursday, April 2, 2026 (ET), leading into Holy Week and culminating with Easter on Sunday, April 5, 2026 (ET). Good Friday falls on April 3, 2026 (ET).
When Lent starts and what the calendar looks like in 2026
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the liturgical day that marks the start of the traditional 40 days of preparation before Easter. The 40-day count echoes the Gospel account of Jesus fasting in the wilderness and is observed in various ways across Christian denominations. In 2026, Ash Wednesday is on Feb. 18 (ET), and the season runs through the Thursday before Easter, which is April 2 (ET). The Orthodox Great Lent follows a slightly different timetable, beginning Feb. 23 and running through April 11, 2026 (ET).
Holy Week — the final week of Lent — includes Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, with Easter Sunday on April 5 (ET). Good Friday, the day commemorating the crucifixion, falls on April 3 (ET). These shifting dates mean the Lenten calendar changes each year based on lunar and ecclesiastical calculations.
Why Ash Wednesday packs the pews
Ash Wednesday frequently draws unusually large crowds, sometimes rivalling or exceeding attendance at Christmas Masses. Research tracking Mass attendance in recent years shows that Ash Wednesday competes with both Easter and Christmas for the highest-attended liturgies. In some years, Ash Wednesday attendance has even topped Christmas attendance.
That surge is driven by several factors. For many, receiving ashes is a public expression of religious identity — a simple, visible mark that signals belonging. For others, it offers a focused moment of spiritual reflection: the ashes are a tactile reminder of human mortality and the need for repentance. Clergy and theologians note the ritual combines solemnity with hope, pointing both toward the reality of death and the promise of renewal that culminates at Easter.
The distribution of ashes is not unique to one denomination. Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans and other Christians often participate in Ash Wednesday services, which helps explain the broad swell in attendees. The ashes themselves are traditionally produced from the previous year’s Palm Sunday palms, a practice that links the rites of one liturgical year to the next.
How people observe Lent and what to expect this season
Lenten observance varies widely. Common practices include fasting or abstaining from certain foods, giving up particular luxuries or habits, increasing prayer and Scripture reading, and attending additional worship services. For some, Lent is a time to commit to acts of charity or to pursue intentional spiritual disciplines like daily prayer or more frequent confession.
The ritual of receiving ashes typically involves a minister or priest making the sign of the cross on a worshipper’s forehead while offering a brief exhortation about mortality and repentance. Church leaders emphasize that the outward sign of ashes is meant to reflect an inward commitment to growth and conversion, not merely a public gesture.
Many parishes and congregations will schedule extra services and outreach activities during Lent, and individuals often use this season to prepare spiritually for Holy Week. Whether participants adopt long-standing traditions or create new practices, the period is framed as an intentional season of self-examination and spiritual renewal leading to the celebration of Easter.
With Ash Wednesday on Feb. 18, 2026 (ET), communities will soon begin the annual movement through penitence toward the Easter proclamation of resurrection on April 5, 2026 (ET).
