Here’s what you should know about Ash Wednesday, Lent season
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the period of Lent. They’re two of the most important liturgical events for Christians and help prepare them for Easter.
With the end of March approaching and the start to April near, you may be thinking Easter Sunday is close.
So, it may be surprising to realize that this year, Easter is actually closer to May.
Easter, which is on Sunday, April 20, comes several Sundays after it did last year.
Why is that?
While Easter will always be on a Sunday, what day it occurs on changes each year. That’s because it falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows, or is on, the ecclesiastical equinox, which is the fixed spring equinox date of March 21, according to USA TODAY and Catholic Answers.
That moon is known as the Paschal full moon and based on this approach to when Easter is celebrated, Easter falls between March 22 and April 25, according to Catholic Answers.
Why is Easter celebrated?
Easter is the day those of Christian faith celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after he was crucified, and it’s one of the most important holidays in the Christian calendar. Easter celebrates the victory over sin and death and Jesus Christ’s salvation for people, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Why do we celebrate Easter with eggs?
Easter egg hunts and dyeing eggs have become common practices associated with Easter.
Symbols like the eggs, chicks and Easter Bunny have religious roots, experts say. In the northern hemisphere, where Easter occurs in spring, images of new life associated with the season are linked to the holiday, Timothy P. O’Malley with the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life previously told USA TODAY.
The bunnies, chicks and eggs are signs “new life and fertility around the spring time,” O’Malley said. According to History.com, Easter eggs are also “said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection.”
The practice of dyeing eggs dates back to the ancient Middle East when people used onion skins to color them, Nadieszda Kizenko, faculty member at the University at Albany, previously told USA TODAY.
Eggs were also decorated because of their importance, Kizenko said. In the early days of Lent — the time period of fasting between Ash Wednesday and Easter — meat was given up, as well as dairy products.
“Being able to eat eggs once again was a really big deal. That’s when people started the custom of decorating eggs,” Kizenko said.
When does Lent end 2025?
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on either Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday, “depending on the denomination or tradition you follow,” according to Christianity.com. This year, that’s either April 17 or April 19. These dates are during Holy Week, the period leading up to Easter beginning with Palm Sunday on April 13, according to Catholic Answers. Holy Thursday is the commemoration of Jesus Christ’s Last Supper with his apostles, followed by Good Friday, on which the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ is observed, according to the Arizona Republic.
When was Easter in 2024?
Last year, Easter fell on March 31, according to USA TODAY.
When is Easter 2026?
Next year, Easter will fall on April 5, according to USA TODAY.
Is Easter a federal holiday?
No, Easter is not a federal holiday in the United States. The next federal holiday is Memorial Day on Monday, May 26.
USA TODAY reporters Wyatte Grantham-Philips and Julia Gomez contributed to this article.
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com.
