Pancake Day is done and dusted for another year but we are well on our way to Easter.
As well as being Valentine’s Day today (February 14) is Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent and the countdown to Easter.
It is now only six weeks until the Easter bunny visits and brings all the chocolate eggs.
For many people today also marks the start of a fast – giving up something they love until Easter rolls around.
When does Lent start?
This year Lent begins on Valentine’s Day, so February 14 – but it varies from year to year, taking place six weeks before Easter and the day after Shrove Tuesday.
Easter is a moveable feast, and the date it is celebrated changes every year, with the exact date each year dependant on astronomy.
Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, takes place on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.
So depending on when the spring equinox is Easter, Lent and Pancake Day move around.
What is an equinox?
There are two equinoxes every year, one in the spring and one in the autumn – in March and September.
It is the point when the plane of the Earth’s equator passes through the centre of the Sun’s disk.
The spring equinox will be on Tuesday, March 20, this year.
What is Lent?
The word “Lent” comes from an old English word that means “spring season”.
Lent is a religious tradition observed by the various denominations of the Christian religions.
It lasts 46 days but people only need to observe 40 days of fasting in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
This usually means you can have breaks on the six Sundays leading up to Easter.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is today, and lasts until Holy Thursday – which is the night of the Last Supper and the day before Good Friday.
What is Ash Wednesday?
The official start of Lent – Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting in Western Christianity – it is an important day in the religious calendar.
Ashes, made from palm branches blessed on the previous year’s Palm Sunday, are blessed and placed on the forehead of churchgoers to remind them that they are sinners.
And the priest says “repent, and believe in the Gospel” as they anoint people with the ashes.
It is also the day when people start their Lent fasting.
The last day before Lent begins, also known as Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday fell on February 13 this year
A day of fasting and the official start of Lent, it fell on Valentine's Day this year - Christians also receive blessed ashes on this day
Lasting 46 days, it is a time of fasting and giving up food/drink you love - some people call it a "spring clean for the soul"
The final day of Lent, it falls on Thursday, March 29 this year - and is according to the Gospel the final meal Jesus shared with his Apostles
Falling on Friday, March 30 this year, Good Friday is the day, in Christian tradition, that Jesus was crucified - it is also a Bank Holiday in the UK
The day when we all get Easter Eggs, and according to the Christian belief it is the day that Jesus rose from the dead
Easter is a Bank Holiday in the UK but because it is on a Sunday, we get the Monday off instead!
Why do we give things up for Lent?
A big part of Lent is the fasting – giving up something you love for 40 days until Easter.
From crisps, to beer, or chocolate and sweets, people across the country give up food they love until the end of Lent.
Some people believe this “purifies” their body.
Many Christians also use Lent as a time to volunteer at a charity or donate to a good cause.
When is Easter?
Easter this year takes place on Sunday, April 1 – meaning that Lent will officially end on Thursday, March 29, on the feast of the Last Supper.