when is ash wednesday 2026 in usa

Ash Wednesday in 2026 in the USA falls on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

Key details

• Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

• Country: United States (same liturgical date as other Western Christian churches worldwide).

• Occasion: First day of Lent, observed 46 days before Easter Sunday (40 fasting days, not counting Sundays).

• Type of day in the USA: Religious observance, not a federal public holiday; businesses and schools generally remain open.

Ash Wednesday services, including the placing of ashes on the forehead in the shape of a cross, will therefore be held in churches across the U.S. on February 18, 2026.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.