When is Easter 2024? Here are the key dates to know for Lent this year

Valentine's Day isn't the only significant day on Feb. 14 this year.

For some Christians, there's also services for Ash Wednesday. The day marks the start of the Lenten season, a 40-day period of reflection before Easter.

Here's when Easter and other related dates take place in 2024, as well as what they mean.

When is Easter 2024?

Easter is on Sunday, March 31.

Eastern Orthodox Christians will celebrate the holy day on Sunday, May 5.

What is Easter?

Easter marks the celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection, serving as the culmination of Holy Week, which comprises several days, each carrying significance.

These days include Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

How is the date of Easter determined?

The timing of the holiday varies from year to year. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon occurring on or after March 21.

In the year 325, the the Council of Nicaea ordered a confusing situation of varying dates in different places by decreeing Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. If that full moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter is the following Sunday.

The council's decree eventually became the standard.

When does Lent start?

Lent begins Feb. 14 and runs through March 28.

What is Lent?

In the Christian church, Lent is a period of spiritual reflection before Easter. In Western churches, it begins on Ash Wednesday.

"Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday," according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

For many people, Lent is associated with giving up some luxury, like online shopping or sweet treats, as a sacrificial form of penance and self-discipline. Other people attempt to refrain from character defects such as gossiping.

When is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

What is Ash Wednesday?

According to Britiannica.com, "Ash Wednesday is a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for reconciliation with God and marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season. It is commonly observed with the distribution of ashes and with fasting."

In the early Christian church, Lent was initially observed over six weeks, totaling 36 days, during which fasting was practiced except on Sundays. In the 7th century, the duration was extended to 42 days to align with the 40 days of fasting believed to mirror Jesus Christ's time in the desert, according to Britannica.com.

Catholics, Baptists, Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians and others receive ashes on their foreheads in the pattern of a cross as a reminder of their mortality. The ashes are created by burning palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday.

When is Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday is on Sunday, March 24.

What is Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday is the first day of the Holy Week and commemorates Jesus Christ's entry to Jerusalem.

When is Holy Thursday?

Holy Thursday is on Thursday, March 28.

What is Holy Thursday?

Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, is the Thursday before Easter, observed to commemorate Jesus Christ's institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper.

When is Good Friday 2024?

Good Friday is on Friday, March 29.

What is Good Friday?

Good Friday is when Christians annually observe the commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

When is Easter in 2025?

Easter will be April 20, 2025 for both western and Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Contributing reporting: Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lent begins on Feb. 14. Here's important dates to know this year