Ash Wednesday is a day away and begins the Christian season of Lent. The 6-week period that leads up to Easter. What we know on date, meaning and more.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of the season of Lent that leads up to Good Friday and Easter. What to know about the day.

In 2024, Ash Wednesday arrived early in the season, falling on Feb. 14, which is also Valentine's Day. This year, in 2025, Ash Wednesday is recognized nearly a month later on Wednesday, March 5. The day also marks the beginning of Lent, which lasts 40 days, and ends on another Christian observance, Holy Thursday.

The ashes are now placed on each worshipper's forehead on Ash Wednesday in the form of a cross in the Roman Catholic Church. The palms used in the Palm Sunday ceremony the year before are burned to produce these ashes.

Fat Tuesday — Mardi Gras in French — is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. This year, Mardi Gras falls on March 4. The name Fat Tuesday comes from households using up all the fats stored in the kitchen and pantry before Ash Wednesday and Lent begin.

Christians will begin practicing the 40-day season of prayer, fasting and giving, known as Lent. The period is held each spring as a preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.

Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lenten season; Palm Sunday; and Good Friday are all religious occasions that take place March through April. With each of these occasions shifting in date from year to year,