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It occurs forty days before Easter not counting Sundays (which are not included in Lent); it occurs forty-four days before Good Friday counting Sundays. Its placement varies each year, according to the date of Easter. The date can vary from early February to as late as the second week in March.

Ash Wednesday falls on the following dates in the following years:

• 2004 - February 25
• 2005 - February 9
• 2006 - March 1
• 2007 - February 21
• 20082008 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). 2008 Years in the future Articulo futuro Predicted events January NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft makes the first of three flybys of Mercury. February 1 Sweden plans to cease analog television b - February 6February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 328 days remaining, 329 in leap years. Events 337 Julius is elected pope. 1778 American Revolutionary War: In Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are
• 2009Years in the future 2009 Articulo futuro 2009 is a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). Predicted Events January 20 George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States is due to end. A new President will be inaugurated. - February 25
• 20102010 is a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). See also: 2010: Odyssey Two Events January 15 Annular solar eclipse (The longest lasting annular eclipse of the 21st century. February 12 to February 28 2010 Winter Olympics scheduled in Va - February 17February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 317 days remaining (318 in leap years). Events 197 Battle of Lugdunum, Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats his rival Clodius Albinus, securing full control over the Roman Emp
• 20112011 is a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). Predicted events January 4 Partial solar eclipse March NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft is scheduled to arrive in orbit around Mercury. April 24 Easter has not been as late as this since 1943. - March 9March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). There are 297 days remaining. Events 1841 The Supreme Court of the United States rules in the Amistad case that the Africans who seized control of the ship had been taken
• 20122012 is a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). Events March French Presidential election April 15 100th Anniversay of RMS Titanic Sinking May 20 Annular solar eclipse June 6 Second and last solar transit of the planet Venus of this centur - February 22
• 2013 - February 13
• 2014 - March 5
• 2015 - February 18
• 2016 - February 10
• 2017 - March 1
• 2018 - February 14
• 2019 - March 6

Some Christians treat Ash Wednesday as a day for remembering one's mortality. Masses are traditionally held on this day at which attendees are blessed with ashes by the priest ministering the ceremony. The minister marks the forehead of each celebrant with black ashes, leaving a mark that the worshipper traditionally leaves on his or her forehead until sundown, before washing it off. This symbolism recalls the ancient oriental tradition of throwing ash over one's head signifying repentance before God (as related numerous times in the Bible). In Roman Catholicism, it is a day of fasting and abstinence.

Being the first day of Lent, it comes the day after Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, the last day of the Carnival season.

In certain parts of the United Kingdom, Ash Wednesday similarly involves the ritual consumption of a food stuff, the dish hash.

In New Orleans, Louisiana it is sometimes jokingly referred to as "Trash Wednesday" due to the large amount of refuse typically left in the streets by the previous day's Fat Tuesday Celebrations.

In Australia, Ash Wednesday (bushfires) refers to major bushfires that occurred on February 16, 1983 across Victoria and South Australia. 75 lives were lost and over 2500 homes destroyed.

See also [1]

Ash Wednesday is also the title of a poem by T. S. Eliot.