Why is Ash Wednesday 46 days before Easter, not 40?

Lent's traditional "40 days" excludes the 6 Sundays within the 46-day span (Sundays aren't fast days) — see this site's Lenten Fasting Day Counter for the full breakdown.

All tools

Christian Tools

Liturgical Calendar (Movable Feasts)

Ash Wednesday through Trinity Sunday — every movable feast, derived from Easter.

🔒 Runs entirely in your browser — nothing here is ever uploaded

Remove ads →

About the Liturgical Calendar (Movable Feasts)

Lists every major movable feast in the Western liturgical calendar — Ash Wednesday through Trinity Sunday — for any year, each derived from Easter Sunday.

100% Free Runs in Your Browser No Sign-Up Required

How to use it

Enter a year.
Read each movable feast's date.

Formula

Each feast is a fixed day-offset from Easter Sunday: Ash Wednesday (-46 days), Palm Sunday (-7), Maundy Thursday (-3), Good Friday (-2), Ascension (+39), Pentecost (+49), Trinity Sunday (+56).

Worked example

In 2026 (Easter April 5): Ash Wednesday February 18, Palm Sunday March 29, Pentecost May 24.

Interpreting your result

These are Western/Gregorian Easter-based dates. Orthodox churches derive the same movable feasts from their own Orthodox Easter date instead (see this site's Orthodox Easter Calculator), which typically falls on a different day and shifts every feast along with it.

Recommendations

• Ascension always falls on a Thursday (it's fixed at exactly 39 days after Easter Sunday, a multiple-of-7-plus-4 offset).

Frequently asked questions

A holy day whose date shifts each year because it's calculated relative to Easter, rather than falling on a fixed calendar date like Christmas (December 25).