What Ash Wednesday is
The first day of Lent in Western Christianity, forty-six days before Easter, marked by the imposition of ashes on the forehead.
The ashes are traditionally made by burning the previous year’s Palm Sunday palms.
When it falls, and why the date moves
The countdown at the top of this page is live, and the date beneath it is the next occurrence. The date is counted from Easter Sunday, which is itself the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the March equinox. Easter can fall anywhere between 22 March and 25 April, and everything anchored to it moves with it.
It is grouped here under Christian, alongside the other observances that share its calendar.
What is coming up next
Once this date passes, the countdown moves straight on to the next occurrence — you do not need a different page for next year. See the full list of upcoming events, or use the countdown timer for a date of your own.
| Event | Date | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 📚 International Literacy Day 2026 | 8 Sep 2026 | 5 |
| 🌼 Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash) 2026 | 11 Sep 2026 | 8 |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico Independence Day 2026 | 16 Sep 2026 | 13 |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia Day 2026 | 16 Sep 2026 | 13 |
| 🇨🇱 Chile Independence Day 2026 | 18 Sep 2026 | 15 |
Where to go next
This ash wednesday countdown has its own page, so the link keeps working next year as well as this one. If you came here wondering what time it is somewhere rather than how long is left, world time clock has the current time in every country and city.
- event countdowns — live countdowns to holidays and festivals worldwide
- countdown timer — count down from any length you set
- World Clock — pick a country or city and read its clock, offset and daylight saving rules
- time zone converter — turn a time in one place into the same instant in another
- world clock and time zones — the current time in every country, territory and US state