Lent 2020 Dates: When Does Lent Start? Know Everything About 40-Day Christian Fasting Period That Begins With Ash Wednesday

The holy period of Lent is here. During the 40-day period, Christians replicate the acts of Jesus Christ by giving up something important to them, usually food. Lent 2020 will start from Ash Wednesday, which is tomorrow, February 26. The religious observance is marked by people belonging to the Christian community across the world. Though Lent is believed to be a time of sacrifice and self-denial, people take it as an opportunity to better themselves. There is a lot of significance associated with Lent. In this article, we provided you detailed information about the observation, Lent Dates, when it starts and everything related to the 40-day Christian fasting period that begins with Ash Wednesday.

What is an Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is believed to be a day of repentance, when people confess their sins and profess their devotion to God. The day is important because it marks the start of the Lenten period leading up to Easter. Ash Wednesday 2020 Date: History and Significance of The Holy Day Marking the Beginning of Lent. 

Lent 2020 Dates: When Does Lent Start?

Lent starts with Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on February 26. The start date varies every year as it is observed exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday. Lent 2020 starts with Ash Wednesday on February 26 and continues till April 9, 2020.

Significance of Lent

Like we mentioned earlier, Lent begins with Ash Wednesday continues till 40 days ending with Holy Thursday before Easter Sunday. Lent is the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, doing penance, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins, almsgiving and denial of ego. The last week of Lent is known as the Holy Week that starts with Palm Sunday. The 40-day observation of Lent commemorates the sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s journey into the desert for 40 days. During this period, many people observe fasting as well as give up certain luxuries. This is known as one’s Lenten sacrifice.

Aside from fasting, people also add Lenten spiritual discipline such as reading a daily devotional or praying through a Lenten calendar to draw themselves near to God.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 25, 2020 02:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).