Ash Wednesday Observed Across Brazil as Lent Begins and Church Launches 2026 Fraternity Campaign

Overview

• Cathedrals and parishes nationwide hold services throughout the day, with bishops presiding in key cities such as Belém, Santarém, Montes Claros, João Pessoa and Campina Grande.
• The traditional rite places ashes on the head or forehead, using material made from last year’s Palm Sunday branches and accompanied by set biblical phrases.
• Archdioceses open the 2026 Fraternity Campaign focused on housing, highlighted in services led by Dom José Carlos in Montes Claros and in diocesan launches reported across regions.
• Catholic guidance for Lent emphasizes fasting and abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays, alongside prayer and charitable works.
• Ash Wednesday is not a federal holiday in Brazil, operating as a nationwide partial workday in the morning with local variations set by states and municipalities.