It always feels a bit like a guessing game, doesn't it? One year you're scraping ash off your forehead in early February while shivering in a parka, and the next, you're practically looking for Easter eggs in short sleeves.
For anyone planning their year, the Lent 2025 dates are leaning heavily into that "late" category.
Honestly, it catches people off guard. If you feel like the winter is dragging on, the 2024-2025 liturgical calendar isn't doing you any favors. We are looking at a schedule that pushes the entire season of reflection and fasting deep into the spring.
When does it actually start?
Ash Wednesday lands on March 5, 2025.
🔗 Read more: Weather Middletown NJ 07748: Why Everyone Gets the Jersey Shore Winter Wrong
That is late. Really late. To give you some context, in 2024, we were already a week into Lent by the time mid-February rolled around. But in 2025, you’ve basically got all of February to enjoy your chocolate, steaks, or whatever else you usually give up before the "Great Fast" kicks in.
Why does this happen? It isn't just a random dart throw by the Vatican. It’s all tied to the lunar cycle. The Council of Nicaea back in A.D. 325 decided that Easter should fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. Because Easter moves, the 40 days of Lent (not counting Sundays!) have to slide right along with it.
The Key Milestones for 2025
- Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras): March 4
- Ash Wednesday: March 5
- Palm Sunday: April 13
- Holy Thursday: April 17
- Good Friday: April 18
- Holy Saturday: April 19
- Easter Sunday: April 20
See that? Easter isn't until April 20. When Easter is that deep into April, it changes the entire "vibe" of the season. Usually, Lent feels like a bridge from winter to spring. In 2025, it’s going to feel like full-blown spring almost the entire time.
The "40 Days" Math That Everyone Gets Wrong
If you pull out a calendar and count the days from March 5 to April 20, you’re going to get 46 days.
Wait.
Isn't Lent supposed to be 40 days?
This is the part that trips up even people who have been going to Mass or services for decades. Sundays don't count. In the Western Church (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, etc.), Sundays are considered "Little Easters." They are feast days. Even in the middle of a penitential season, you aren't technically supposed to be fasting on a Sunday.
✨ Don't miss: Crime Rates Per City: What Most People Get Wrong
So, when you calculate the Lent 2025 dates, you take those 46 days, subtract the six Sundays, and you arrive at your 40. It’s a bit of liturgical gymnastics, but it’s been the standard for centuries.
Why the late start matters for your habits
Normally, people use Lent as a sort of "New Year's Resolution 2.0." By March, most of us have already failed at the gym or the diet we started in January.
Because the 2025 season starts in March, you actually have a massive gap between your New Year goals and your Lenten commitments. Some psychologists suggest this "late" start is actually better for habit formation. You aren't fighting the post-holiday blues quite as hard.
But there is a catch.
Since the Lent 2025 dates run so late, Holy Week coincides with a lot of Spring Break schedules in the United States and Europe. If you’re planning a trip to Mexico or Florida during the third week of April, you might find yourself trying to find a Good Friday service in a tourist town. It’s something to keep in mind before you book those flights.
👉 See also: January 24 2027: Why This Specific Sunday Matters More Than You Think
The Eastern Orthodox Difference
It’s worth noting that if you have friends in the Orthodox Church, their dates won't match up with the March 5 start. They use the Julian calendar for religious dates, whereas the Western world uses the Gregorian calendar. In 2025, though, there is a rare alignment. Both Eastern and Western Easter actually fall on April 20. This "Great Convergence" doesn't happen every year, and it’s usually seen as a pretty significant symbolic event for Christian unity.
What Most People Miss About the Fasting Rules
We talk about "giving things up" like it's a game. Chocolate. Social media. Sarcasm. (That last one is harder than it looks).
But for those following the traditional Roman Catholic rules, the Lent 2025 dates come with specific dietary requirements on certain days.
- Ash Wednesday (March 5) and Good Friday (April 18): These are days of full fasting and abstinence. For those aged 18 to 59, "fasting" means one full meal and two smaller meals that don't equal a full meal.
- Fridays in Lent: No meat. This is why fish fry posters start appearing on every street corner and why McDonald's pushes the Filet-O-Fish so hard in March and April.
"Meat" in this context usually refers to mammals and birds. Fish are fine. Cold-blooded animals are fine. This is why, historically, you’ll see some weird regional traditions where things like alligator or even beaver were technically classified as "fish" by local bishops so people could eat during Lent. Probably not a problem you’ll have in 2025, but it’s a fun bit of history.
Practical Steps for Preparing
Since you've got time before March hits, don't just wing it on the morning of Ash Wednesday.
- Audit your calendar now. Check that April 13–20 window. If you’re a student or a parent, see how that aligns with school breaks.
- Decide on the "Why." Most people fail their Lenten sacrifice because they pick something random. If you're giving up coffee just to lose weight, that's a diet, not a spiritual practice.
- Mark the "Fish Fry" dates. Seriously. If you enjoy the community aspect, those local church dinners start on Friday, March 7, 2025.
- Prepare for the "Late Season" burn. Because Lent ends so late in April, the final week might feel like it's dragging. The weather will be nice, people will be outside, and you’ll still be in that "fasting" mindset while everyone else is in "spring fever" mode.
The late timing of the Lent 2025 dates offers a unique opportunity to experience the season in the peak of spring. It's a shift from the usual "winter gloom" to a period where the literal "rebirth" of nature outside matches the themes of the holiday. Focus on that transition as you prepare for the March 5 start. Keep an eye on the moon—after all, it's what’s dictating your schedule this year.