First Day of Lent 2023

The First Day of Lent 2023 is on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 (in 24 days).  Calendar for 2023

The First Day of Lent is the beginning of the 40 day fasting period of Lent, or the Lenten season. It always falls on Ash Wednesday and occurs 46 days before Easter Sunday (there is no obligation to fast on the six Sundays in Lent). The earliest possible date it can occur is February 4, the latest possible date is March 10.

It is preceded by Fat Tuesday (also called Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday and Mardi Gras), the last day of feasting before the fasting of Lent begins. It occurs just after the excesses of two days of Carnival, which are celebrated in regions of Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Northern Europe. Some observant Christians conduct a full fast (complete fast or bread and water fast) during daytime on the First Day of Lent and only break the fast at sunset. A few continue fasting all through Lent.

It is a national public holiday in some countries (eg. Jamaica, Cayman Islands), a holiday for bank and/or government workers and some businesses in others (eg. Guadeloupe, Panama), and not a public holiday in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and other European countries (though some local observances may be held).

Why does the date of the first day of Lent change every year?

The dates of Lent depend on the date of Easter Sunday. Easter is a 'movable feast', which means that its date is not fixed in the calendar, but is instead calculated according to the lunar calendar, formalised in Ecclesiastical date tables. It is based on the date of the vernal equinox (March equinox). In AD 325 the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox. The date of Easter Sunday can thus fall between March 22 and April 25, with the first day of Lent occurring 46 days before this date (consisting of 40 days of fasting and six Sundays counted as feast days, for a total of 46 days for Lent).

Further reading: Lent on Wikipedia

The First Day of Lent 2024 is on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 (in 381 days).  Calendar for 2024

Dates of the First Day of Lent 2023 and surrounding years as downloadable image file