Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, an important time for Christians leading up to Easter. Here's what to know.

Ash Wednesday falls on Wednesday, March 5 this year. In Western churches, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a period of spiritual reflection before Easter. Lent runs through April 17, 2025. Palm Sunday, the first day of the Holy Week which commemorates Jesus Christ's entry to Jerusalem, is on Sunday, April 13, 2025.

Carnival Season typically starts after Epiphany on Jan. 6 and culminates on Ash Wednesday, which falls on March 5 this year.

Though Easter isn't for a few months, there are several other spring religious holidays, including Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent, coming up.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40-day period in which Christians worldwide observe a period of reflection, prayer and penance. Lent ends with Holy Week and Easter Sunday, an important day in the Christian calendar that honors the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion on the cross, per BBC.

Lent came early last year, but it is back to a bit more normal schedule for 2025. Here's a look when Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent start.