Christian Holiday

Lent

Lent is the forty-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that prepares Christians for Easter. Lent 2027 begins on Ash Wednesday, Wednesday, February 10, 2027, and Easter follows on March 28, 2027. The forty days recall Jesus's fast in the wilderness, and Sundays are not counted.

Next: Wednesday, February 10, 2027

When Is Lent?

2027Next

Lent begins (Ash Wednesday)Wednesday, February 10, 2027

Lent ends (evening of Holy Thursday)Thursday, March 25, 2027

Easter SundaySunday, March 28, 2027

Orthodox Great Lent begins (Clean Monday)Monday, March 15, 2027

2028

Lent begins (Ash Wednesday)Wednesday, March 1, 2028

Lent ends (evening of Holy Thursday)Thursday, April 13, 2028

Easter SundaySunday, April 16, 2028

Orthodox Great Lent begins (Clean Monday)Monday, February 28, 2028

What Lent Means

Lent recalls the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness before beginning his ministry. It is a season for honest self-examination, turning away from sin, and turning back toward God. The forty days (not counting Sundays) run from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. Lent is not about earning God's favor through hardship. It is about clearing away the clutter of ordinary life so the heart is ready to receive the joy of the resurrection. Many Christians give something up or take something on during Lent as a way of making room for prayer and generosity.

Lent in the Bible

Matthew 4:1-2KJV
“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.”

Matthew 6:16-18KJV
“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

How Lent Is Observed

Lent is observed through fasting or giving up a comfort, added prayer and scripture reading, giving to those in need, and reflection. Many churches hold midweek services. The season is deliberately quieter and more somber, building toward the sorrow of Holy Week and the celebration of Easter.

Catholic

For Catholics, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday, when the Easter Triduum begins. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence, and Fridays in Lent are days of abstinence from meat. The Gloria and Alleluia are not sung.

Orthodox

Orthodox Christians keep Great Lent, which begins on Clean Monday and is followed by Holy Week. The traditional fast is stricter than in the West, setting aside meat, dairy and other foods. The full Divine Liturgy is not served on Lenten weekdays, and many parishes celebrate the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Protestant

Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian churches keep Lent with ashes, midweek services and devotional reading. Many evangelical Christians now observe Lent too, often by giving something up or adding a practice of prayer, while others do not keep the season at all.

Where It Falls in the Christian Year

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends as Holy Week reaches Maundy Thursday, the eve of Good Friday. Jesus's own forty-day fast is told in Matthew 4.

Lent FAQ

When does Lent start and end in 2027?

Lent 2027 starts on Ash Wednesday, Wednesday, February 10, 2027. In the Catholic Church it ends at sundown on Holy Thursday, March 25, 2027, and Easter Sunday follows on March 28, 2027. Orthodox Great Lent begins on Clean Monday, March 15, 2027.

What is Lent?

Lent is a season of repentance and preparation before Easter. Christians focus on prayer, fasting and giving to those in need, three practices Jesus teaches in Matthew 6, in order to turn more fully toward God before celebrating the resurrection.

Why is Lent 40 days?

Forty days recalls Jesus's forty days of fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2), as well as Moses on Sinai and Elijah's journey to Horeb. Western churches count the forty days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday without the six Sundays, which are always feast days.

Are Sundays part of Lent?

Sundays fall within the season of Lent, but they are not counted in the forty days because every Sunday celebrates the resurrection. Some people relax their Lenten fast on Sundays, though practice varies by family and tradition.

What are the rules for fasting in Lent?

Catholics ages 18 to 59 fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and those 14 and older abstain from meat on those days and on Fridays of Lent. Orthodox fasting is stricter. Most Protestant churches leave fasting to personal choice.

Is Lent in the Bible?

The season of Lent is not named in the Bible. A forty-day preparation for Easter developed in the early church and was widespread by the fourth century. Its practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving come from Scripture.