Ash Wednesday facts for kids
Ash Wednesday is a special day in the Western Christian calendar. It marks the very first day of Lent. Lent is a period of about six weeks before Easter.
The date of Ash Wednesday changes every year because the date of Easter also changes. It can happen as early as February 4 or as late as March 10. Ash Wednesday is a time when many Christians think about their faith and prepare for Easter.
Some people choose to fast voluntarily between Ash Wednesday and Easter. This means they might give up certain foods or activities. However, there are exceptions. People who are pregnant, sick, children, and older people usually do not have to fast.
Dates of Ash Wednesday
The date for Ash Wednesday changes each year because it depends on when Easter falls. Here are some of the dates it has been on or will be on:
| 2000 | March 8 | |
| 2001 | February 28 | |
| 2002 | February 14 | |
| 2003 | March 5 | |
| 2004 | February 25 | |
| 2005 | February 9 | |
| 2006 | March 1 | |
| 2007 | February 21 | |
| 2008 | February 6 | |
| 2009 | February 25 | |
| 2010 | February 17 | |
| 2011 | March 9 | |
| 2012 | February 22 | |
| 2013 | February 13 | |
| 2014 | March 5 | |
| 2015 | February 18 | |
| 2016 | February 10 | |
| 2017 | March 1 | |
| 2018 | February 14 | |
| 2019 | March 6 | |
| 2020 | February 26 | |
| 2021 | February 17 | |
| 2022 | March 2 | |
| 2023 | February 22 | |
| 2024 | February 14 | |
| 2025 | March 5 | |
| 2026 | February 18 | |
| 2027 | February 10 | |
| 2028 | March 1 | |
| 2029 | February 14 | |
| 2030 | March 6 |
See Also
Images for kids
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Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness (Jésus tenté dans le désert), James Tissot, Brooklyn Museum
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A priest blesses ashes
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A priest marks a cross of ashes on a worshipper's forehead, the prevailing form in English-speaking countries.
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A deacon burning palm fronds from the previous Palm Sunday for Ash Wednesday
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Two Anglican priests distribute ashes to passersby in the American city of Boca Raton as part of the Ashes to Go movement.
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St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis, Tennessee on Ash Wednesday 2011. The veiled altar cross and purple paraments are customary during Lent.
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An 1881 Polish painting of a Roman Catholic priest sprinkling ashes on the heads of worshippers, the form prevailing in, for instance, Italy, Spain, and parts of Latin America
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Ash Wednesday by Carl Spitzweg: the end of Carnival
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An Episcopal priest has an Ashes to Go station for commuters at the Metro-North Railroad in the American state of Connecticut, 2017.
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The chancel of a church on Ash Wednesday 2015 (the veiled altar cross and purple paraments are customary during Lent).
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Imposition of ashes during a Lutheran Ash Wednesday Mass, 2017
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A Naval air officer receives ashes from a military chaplain aboard a U.S. Navy ship, 2011
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Imposition of ashes at Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune Catholic Church, Strasbourg, 2014
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A woman receives a cross of ashes on Ash Wednesday outside an Episcopal church, 2015
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A Methodist Pastor distributing ashes to confirmands kneeling at the chancel rails, 2016
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A Lutheran pastor distributes ashes to a communicant during a Divine Service, 2017
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See also
In Spanish: Miércoles de Ceniza para niños
