ash wednesday: Lent begins Feb. 18, 2026 — what it means and why Christians wear ashes
Ash Wednesday falls on Feb. 18, 2026 (ET), marking the start of Lent for many Christian communities. The day is best known for the practice of placing ashes in the sign of the cross on worshippers’ foreheads, a visible reminder of human mortality and a call to repentance. Over centuries the observance has evolved, but its central themes — fasting, prayer and acts of charity — remain widely practiced as Christians prepare for Easter.
Origins and symbolism of the ashes
The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are traditionally made by burning the previous year’s palm branches from Palm Sunday services. Church tradition connects the practice to ancient rites of penance: in early centuries, those undertaking public penance wore sackcloth and were sprinkled with ashes as an outward sign of remorse and separation from the community until reconciliation.
Beyond that historical practice, the ashes carry a theological message. The gesture evokes the biblical image of human life fashioned from dust and returning to dust, underscoring mortality and dependence on God. Over time the application of ashes shifted from placing them on the head of a few penitents to marking the foreheads of the entire congregation, commonly in the shape of a cross. For many worshippers the mark is a public and private prompt to reflection — a brief, visible commitment to return more deeply to spiritual disciplines during Lent.
What Lent looks like in 2026 and key calendar dates (ET)
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 (ET), and this observance runs through Thursday, April 2, 2026 (ET). The 40-day Lenten fast has its roots in early Christian practice. Early communities observed various lengths and rules for fasting; by the seventh century the season was standardized to a 42-day period that created 40 days of fasting when Sundays were excluded, reflecting the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness.
Communities mark the weeks of Lent with a sequence of observances leading into Holy Week. Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, precedes Holy Week; Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), Good Friday and Holy Saturday follow. Easter Sunday, the central feast celebrating the resurrection, falls on April 5, 2026 (ET). These dates set the rhythm for additional liturgies, quiet reflection and acts of charity through the season.
Practices: fasting, prayer, almsgiving and community
Lenten practice typically emphasizes three pillars: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Many worshippers choose to give up particular foods or habits for the season, while others add spiritual disciplines — extra daily prayer, scripture reading or acts of service. The aim is not simply deprivation but reorienting attention: to foster self-examination, compassion and a renewed focus on what worshippers see as central to their faith.
Clergy and local faith leaders often encourage congregations to use Lent as a time to deepen both private devotion and communal care. One priest in a recent local observance described Ash Wednesday as the start of a journey toward celebrating new life at Easter, noting that practices like additional prayer and charitable giving help prepare people spiritually for the season’s culmination.
Attendance on Ash Wednesday is frequently high for non-Sunday services, as many people seek an intentional starting point for the season. The service itself is typically brief: a scripture reading, a short homily, and the imposition of ashes. For those who take part, the mark on the forehead serves as both a confession of frailty and an outward sign of a renewed inward commitment.
As congregations around the country mark Feb. 18, 2026 (ET), the observance will look different across traditions and communities. Yet whether experienced quietly at home or in a packed sanctuary, Ash Wednesday remains a widely observed moment of pause and preparation on the Christian calendar.
