The Easter season may seem far off but for many it begins in just over a month.
Easter falls in the first week of April this year, meaning Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season will fall just a few days after Valentine’s Day.
Here’s what date Easter 2026 will fall on, when the Easter season begins and ends, and why the date of Easter Sunday moves from year to year.
When is Easter Sunday 2026?
Easter Sunday will fall on April 5 in 2026. In 2025, Easter fell much later in the month, on April 20.
Eastern Orthodox Easter will fall on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
What is considered Easter season? Why is January 6 called the Epiphany?
Although some people mistake the Epiphany season for being a part of the Easter season, it is not.
Epiphany is the season leading up to Lent, which is 40 days of preparation for Easter Sunday. Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, is the official beginning of the Easter season.
Epiphany, which many Western protestants and catholics celebrate on the first Sunday of January, was on Jan. 6. Epiphany is also known as Three Kings Day, Día de los Reyes, or Theophany, and predates the celebration of Christmas.
“The early Christian church established the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6 to commemorate several miraculous events that “manifested” Jesus’ divinity: his virgin birth, the visitation of the Three Wise Men (also called the Three Kings or the Magi), his baptism and when he turned water into wine at the Wedding of Cana,” according to History.com.
“As Christianity separated into western and eastern branches, two distinct lines of tradition developed. Western churches celebrated Epiphany as the day that the Magi visited the infant Jesus. Meanwhile, Eastern Orthodox churches associated the holiday, which they call Theophany, with Jesus’ baptism, when he was “manifested” as both fully human and fully divine.”
The “season of Epiphany” began in the first week of January. When the Epiphany season ends depends on your religion and denomination.
Many Catholics only observe Epiphany for one week, ending on Sunday, Jan. 11, this year. Others choose to observe through the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, or Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.
How did the tradition of Lent begin?
Lent is a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and repentance that many Christians and Catholics observe leading up to Easter. It marks the beginning of the Easter season. Many people give up something they love for those 40 days, while others choose to fast from food in different ways.
According to Vatican News, early Christians originally began preparing for Easter with just two days of fasting and penitence, which later turned into Holy Week.
In 325 CE, Emperor Constantine called a meeting of church leaders, called the Council of Nicea. In the month-long meeting, the council decided on a set of agreements to guide how the church would observe, teach, and practice its beliefs about the life of Jesus Christ.
Some historical context: The Council of Nicea – and establishment of the 40-day Lent that many Christians and Catholics still observe today – took place 13 years after Constantine converted to Christianity in 312 A.D. and 11 years before the first recorded Christian Christmas (Dec. 25, 336 A.D.).
“By 325, the Council of Nicea already testifies to a 40-day preparation for Easter, after the ‘model’ of Jesus who spent 40 days in the desert…” Vatican News says.
“Not to mention other highly significant 40-day or 40-year periods such as the flood that lasted 40 days and 40 nights, the 40-year sojourn of the people of Israel in the desert, and the 40 days in which Moses fasted on Mount Sinai, or Elijah on Mount Horeb.”
How long is Lent in 2026? Lent 2026 dates
Lent always spans 40 days, beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending at sundown on Holy Thursday.
In 2026, Lent will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 18, and end on Thursday, April 2.
Why are there ashes on the forehead? What to know about Ash Wednesday 2026
According to Vatican News, Ash Wednesday’s origins are different from why people observe the day now.
Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs. Of course, some of these crimes, like murder, were and are crimes both in and outside of a religious congregation.
“Dressed in penitential dress, and sprinkled with ashes, these penitents would circulate throughout the cities, reminders of those who are ‘thrown out of paradise,’” Vatican News says.
“Toward the end of the 11th century, the practice of public penance began to fade out, and the practice of imposing ashes on the faithful took its place.”
According to Catholic.com, modern Catholics (and some Christians) who participate in Ash Wednesday now receive ashes on the forehead as a reminder of our mortality and the temporary nature of worldly things.
Ash Wednesday 2026 will fall on Feb. 18, marking the beginning of Lent 2026.
What is Good Friday? When is Good Friday 2026?
Good Friday always falls on the Friday immediately before Easter Sunday and commemorates the day Jesus was crucified.
“For Christians, Good Friday is an important day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world,” Christianity.com says.
“Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation.”
Good Friday 2026 will fall on April 3.
What determines when Easter is each year?
Easter’s date changes because it is based on the lunar calendar, much like Lunar New Year. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Easter Sunday always falls on the first full moon after the spring equinox.
“While Christmas is fixed to a solar calendar (and near the winter solstice), Easter is based on the lunar cycles of the Jewish calendar,” the almanac says.
“In the Christian religion, the Last Supper (the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles before his crucifixion) was a Passover feast. Because Easter is based on a lunar month (which is 29.5 days), the date of Easter can vary.”
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: When does Lent start? Here’s when the 2026 Easter season begins, ends
Reporting by Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
