How Many Days Until Ash Wednesday 2026?

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and repentance leading up to Easter in the Christian calendar. It falls 46 days before Easter Sunday (40 fasting days, excluding Sundays).

The day is named for the practice of placing ashes on believers' foreheads in the shape of a cross. These ashes are typically made from burning palm branches from the previous year's Palm Sunday, symbolizing mortality and repentance.

During Ash Wednesday services, worshippers often hear the phrase "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Many Christians observe Lent by giving up certain luxuries or habits as a form of spiritual discipline.