Ash Wednesday 2027 falls on Wednesday, February 10, 2027. It begins Lent, which ends on Thursday, March 25 in Latin Catholic reckoning or Saturday, March 27 in Lutheran, Anglican and Moravian reckoning.
Two things make 2027 worth stating carefully. Ash Wednesday on February 10 is early — the possible window runs February 4 to March 10 — because Easter falls early, on March 28.
And the Lent end date is genuinely disputed between traditions, which is why published Lent 2027 date ranges differ by two days depending on which source you read.
Table of Contents
When is Ash Wednesday 2027?
Wednesday, February 10, 2027, 46 days before Easter Sunday on March 28.
The pre-Lent and Lent calendar for 2027:
| Observance | Date 2027 | Weekday | Days from Easter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Septuagesima | January 24 | Sunday | −63 |
| Sexagesima | January 31 | Sunday | −56 |
| Quinquagesima | February 7 | Sunday | −49 |
| Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras | February 9 | Tuesday | −47 |
| Ash Wednesday, Lent begins | February 10 | Wednesday | −46 |
| First Sunday of Lent, Quadragesima | February 14 | Sunday | −42 |
| Lent ends, Latin Catholic | March 25 | Thursday | −3 |
| Lent ends, Lutheran and Anglican | March 27 | Saturday | −1 |
| Easter Sunday | March 28 | Sunday | 0 |
Why Lent is 40 days but Ash Wednesday is 46 days before Easter
Because Sundays are not counted. The gap from Ash Wednesday, February 10, to Easter Sunday, March 28, is exactly 46 calendar days.
Six Sundays fall inside that span — February 14 and 21 and 28, and March 7 and 14 and 21. Removing them leaves 40 days of fasting.
Sundays are excluded because every Sunday is a commemoration of the Resurrection, and the Church does not fast on a feast day even inside a penitential season.
The 40 days themselves recall Christ’s 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, Moses’s 40 days on Sinai, and Israel’s 40 years of wandering.
Why sources disagree on when Lent 2027 ends
The disagreement is real and denominational, not an error in one source:
| Tradition | Lent 2027 ends | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Latin Catholic | Thursday, March 25, evening | Lent ends when the Paschal Triduum begins at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper |
| Lutheran, Anglican, Moravian | Saturday, March 27 | Lent runs through Holy Saturday to the Easter Vigil |
| Western Orthodox | Saturday, March 27 | Follows the Holy Saturday reckoning |
| Eastern Orthodox | Friday, April 23 | Great Lent is a separate season on the Julian computus |
Fasting practice does not track the liturgical end date in either Western case.
Even where Lent formally closes on March 25, Lenten fasting and abstinence continue through Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
Ash Wednesday 2027 observance and fasting rules
Catholic obligation on Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027, under canon law:
- Fasting binds Catholics aged 18 to 59: one full meal and two smaller meals that together do not equal a full meal.
- Abstinence from meat binds Catholics aged 14 and older.
- Both also apply on Good Friday, March 26, 2027. These are the only two days of the year on which both obligations bind.
- Illness, pregnancy, and physically demanding work are recognised exemptions.
Ashes are distributed at services during the day. The ashes are traditionally made by burning the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday — in 2027 that means the palms from March 29, 2026.
Receiving ashes is not restricted to Catholics and carries no obligation.
Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and many other Western denominations observe the day with ash distribution but do not impose the canonical fasting rules.
Is Ash Wednesday 2027 a holiday?
No. It is not a federal holiday, a state holiday, or a day of obligation.
| Institution | Status on Wednesday, February 10, 2027 |
|---|---|
| Federal offices | Open |
| Banks and Federal Reserve | Open |
| U.S. Postal Service | Open |
| NYSE and Nasdaq | Open |
| Public schools | Open, except some parochial schools |
| State offices | Open in every state |
Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church, despite the high attendance it draws.
Attendance is voluntary; the fasting and abstinence obligations are what bind.
Mardi Gras the previous day, Tuesday, February 9, 2027, is a legal holiday in parts of Louisiana and Alabama, principally Orleans Parish and Mobile County. It has no federal status.
Ash Wednesday dates 2025 to 2032
| Year | Ash Wednesday | Easter Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | March 5 | April 20 |
| 2026 | February 18 | April 5 |
| 2027 | February 10 | March 28 |
| 2028 | March 1 | April 16 |
| 2029 | February 14 | April 1 |
| 2030 | March 6 | April 21 |
| 2031 | February 26 | April 13 |
| 2032 | February 11 | March 28 |
Ash Wednesday is always exactly 46 days before Easter, so this column is the Easter column minus 46 throughout. The possible range is February 4 to March 10.
What Ash Wednesday 2027 is not
Ash Wednesday is not observed by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Orthodox Great Lent 2027 begins on Clean Monday, March 15, and runs to Friday, April 23 — a different date, a different length, and a different name.
It is not a holy day of obligation, and it is not a public holiday anywhere in the United States.
It does not fall on a fixed date and cannot be looked up as one. It moves with Easter across a 35-day window.
It is not the first day of the pre-Lent season. Septuagesima on January 24, 2027 opens pre-Lent in traditions that observe it, and Carnival season opens earlier still, on Epiphany, January 6.
Frequently asked questions
When is Ash Wednesday 2027?
Wednesday, February 10, 2027. It falls 46 days before Easter Sunday on March 28 — early in its possible range, which runs from February 4 to March 10.
How long is Lent 2027?
40 days of fasting across a 46-day calendar span. Lent 2027 runs from Ash Wednesday, February 10, to either Thursday, March 25 or Saturday, March 27, depending on tradition. The six Sundays inside the span are not counted as fast days, which reduces 46 calendar days to 40.
What can you not eat on Ash Wednesday 2027?
Meat, for Catholics aged 14 and older. Fish, eggs and dairy are permitted. Catholics aged 18 to 59 also fast, taking one full meal and two smaller meals that together do not exceed it. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, March 26, are the only two days in 2027 on which both obligations apply.
