Ash Wednesday is one week 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 on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. The day signals the beginning of Lent, a period Roman Catholics participate in to prepare for Easter by going to Mass and receiving ashes on their forehead in the shape of a cross.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, a day in which many Christians attend a church service and receive ashes in the shape of a cross on their foreheads. The gesture dates back thousands of years to the Old Testament, where displaying ashes served as a sign of someone's humility before God, as well as a symbol of repentance.