Lent is the period of six weeks leading up to Easter, the most important festival in the Christian calendar. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week.
This year, Lent begins on Wednesday 18 February and ends on Thursday 2 April.
Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer and lighter; when each day is lighter than the previous day, so the Saxons called spring ‘lencten time’ because the days ‘lengthened’ and from this we get the word Lent.
The season of Lent is about Christians preparing themselves to greet Jesus anew within the Holy Week and Easter celebrations and about trying to establish a spiritual closeness and relationship that Christian’s believe Jesus ever calls them to.
The season begins with Ash Wednesday (18 February 2026) and lasts for 40 days (not including Sundays) until Easter Sunday. This became the first day of Lent because it starts with the act of marking a cross, with a finger dipped in ashes, on the foreheads of all who went to church. This custom is still practised, and the priests who make the ash mark are carrying out an ancient custom. The ashes are special, as they are created by burning the palm leaves that were used as part of the previous year’s Palm Sunday service.
Lent is a solemn time for Christians, when they think of events leading to the Crucifixion. For Christians this involves fasting, repentance, moderation, self-denial and spiritual discipline, as a representation of Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness. This prepares the Christian community for the celebration of their Lord’s resurrection at Easter (3 April 2026, this year).
The EDI Team
