There Lentaccording to Christian tradition, is a period of penance and spiritual preparation lasting 40 dayswhich is made before Easter. According to the Roman rite, Lent start The Ash Wednesdaywhich this year falls on February 18, 2026, and continues for six weeks until Holy Thursday (i.e. the last Thursday before Easter). From an etymological point of view, the term “Lent” derives from ecclesiastical Latin quadragäsëma which properly means “fortieth day”, before Easter.
But why 40? This number has to do with several biblical episodesfrom Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert to those spent by Moses on Mount Sinai.
The surprising thing is that in the case of the Roman rite – the one widespread in almost all of Italy, with the exception of Lombardy where the Ambrosian rite is applied – Lent it doesn’t last exactly 40 days: let’s see why.
What are the rules of Lent: fasting and duration
The Christian tradition conceives Lent as a time of penance and spiritual renewal: this is why during this period the faithful try, as much as possible, to fasting and abstaining from meat consumption (especially during the Fridays of Lent).
There duration of 40 days, however, is not accidental: if initially the preparation for Easter was limited to a few days before, already from the 4th century the duration of this period gradually expanded, up to the number 40, which reappears in the Bible on several occasions. According to the most accredited theories, in fact, this duration refers first of all to 40 days of fasting spent by Jesus in the desertbut also to the time spent by Moses on Mount Sinai, up to the 40 days during which the giant Goliath remained undefeated, until David advanced against him, killing him.
In short, this symbolic number was chosen forr strengthen the idea of Lent period of sacrifice and penance.
When does Lent begin? It depends on the Roman or Ambrosian rite
The surprising thing is that, in the case of the Roman rite, Lent doesn’t actually last 40 days: this period of penance begins, in fact, on Ash Wednesday (18 February 2026) and ends on Holy Thursday (2 April 2026). Doing some quick calculations, however, the interval between the two dates is 44 days. This happens because in the Roman rite Sundays are not considered penitential days and must therefore be excluded from this calculation.
However, by eliminating the 6 Sundays between 18 February and 2 April, the count of days of Lent drops to 38. This is why, generally, to reach the symbolic quota of 40 days of fasting, the Good Friday and the Holy Saturday, which technically are already part of the Easter Triduum (the period between Holy Thursday and Easter).
In the case of the Ambrosian rite, however, the Sundays of Lent are considered to all intents and purposes to be days of penance: for this type of rite – mainly widespread in Lombardy – Lent begins on the first Sunday following Ash Wednesday (i.e. 22 February 2026) and always ends on Holy Thursday. In the Ambrosian ritetherefore, the period of penance it actually lasts 40 days.
