Ash Wednesday

On Wednesday, February 10, 2027, Ash Wednesday opens Lent, the season of prayer, fasting, and repentance that prepares Christians for Easter. In churches around the world, the faithful receive ashes on their foreheads as a reminder of human mortality and a sign of mourning and repentance.

FEB10

Wednesday, February 10Every year on February 10

days to go

Roots: Ash Wednesday takes its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful, a reminder of human mortality and a sign of mourning and repentance to God.
Hashtag: #AshWednesday

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3 ways to celebrate

AT CHURCH

Attend an Ash Wednesday Service

Join a service to receive ashes and begin Lent in quiet prayer with your community.

AT HOME

Begin Lent in Prayer

Set aside time each day of Lent for prayer and reflection, starting with a few quiet minutes today.

AT HOME

Keep a Simple Fast

Eat simply today and observe the day's fast, as a quiet sign of repentance at the start of Lent.

Plan ahead

Ash Wednesday is observed on February 10 every year. Here is where it lands for the next ten years, handy for planners, marketers and party people.

2026Tue, Feb 10this year

2027Wed, Feb 10

2028Thu, Feb 10

2029Sat, Feb 10

2030Sun, Feb 10

2031Mon, Feb 10

2032Tue, Feb 10

2033Thu, Feb 10

2034Fri, Feb 10

2035Sat, Feb 10

2036Sun, Feb 10

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Fast facts

It is the first day of Lent, a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and repentance, not counting Sundays.

The ashes are traditionally made by burning the palm branches blessed at the previous year's Palm Sunday services.

The story

Ash Wednesday always falls the day after Mardi Gras, and the contrast is fitting. The feasting of Fat Tuesday gives way to a quiet morning of ashes, as Lent begins its 40 days of prayer, fasting, and repentance, not counting the Sundays of the season.

Read the full story

The day takes its name from the ashes themselves. As the minister places them on each forehead in the shape of a cross, the traditional words from Genesis are spoken: 'Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you shall return.' The ashes are a reminder of human mortality and a sign of mourning and repentance to God.

Those ashes carry a story of their own. They are traditionally made by burning the palm branches blessed at the previous year's Palm Sunday services, tying the humility of Lent to the hosannas of Holy Week.

The practice is ancient. The ritual for the Day of Ashes appears in the earliest editions of the Gregorian Sacramentary, dating to at least the 8th century. Lent's 40 days also recall the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation, before beginning his public ministry.