When does Lent officially end, and do the Sundays count in Lent?
Is the Sacred Triduum part of the 40 days of Lent? There are different ways of reckoning the days of Lent, each depending on the sense. As a period of 40 days, Lent extends from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, not including Sundays. Sundays retain their character as “little Easters” and are not days of fasting and abstinence (see the next question) and are not included in the 40. It might be of interest to note that while the English-speaking faithful indicate this time with a word derived from “spring,” the official language of the Church, Latin, uses a word signifying the 40 days (Quadragesima). As a liturgical season, the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar issued by the Vatican says, “Lent runs from Ash Wednesday until the Mass of the Lords Supper, exclusive” (no. 28). This means the liturgical season of begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at the beginning of Mass on Holy Thursday. The Sacred Triduum, which runs from the beginning of Mass on Thursday to Easter Sunda
