Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day this year — Feb. 14, 2024, i.e. today.
The occurrence is rare or not terribly rare, depending on how you define the word. On the one hand, the days were the same just in 2018, and will be the same day again in 2029.
More: Pitts: Fayetteville pastors offer ashes at a meal for the homeless. Things to know about Lent.
On the other hand, after 2029, they will not fall on the same day the rest of the century. And before 2018, the last day they were the same day was 1945.
At first glance, the two events seem odd bedfellows to be sharing the same day.
A solemn time vs. a time of big spending
Ash Wednesday, a big day on the Christian calendar, is a solemn time where the faithful are called to remember their own mortality — as symbolized by the marking of the cross in ash on their foreheads. It is a time where some Christians go without something they enjoy — like for example, chocolates. It is a sacrifice for the season of Lent, which starts with Ash Wednesday and ends the Thursday before Easter, which is March 31 this year.