Easter comes after the traditional 40-day season of Lent in the Christian calendar.
Lent is a period of prayer, repentance, fasting, and self-discipline leading up to Easter. Its 40-day symbolism recalls the account of Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days. The number also echoes other biblical periods of testing and preparation, including Moses’ time on Mount Sinai and the Israelites’ years in the wilderness.
In Western Christianity, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and leads into Holy Week, which includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. The count can seem confusing because Sundays are traditionally not included in the 40-day fast. As a result, the calendar span from Ash Wednesday to Easter is longer than 40 days.
Different Christian traditions calculate the season somewhat differently. Eastern Orthodox Christians observe Great Lent according to their own liturgical calendar and usually celebrate Easter, or Pascha, on a different date. Even so, the central traditional number associated with preparation for Easter remains 40 days.