For the first time in 33 years, Ash Wednesday and the start of Ramadan will coincide in the Philippines on February 18, 2026, affecting the nation’s 85 million Roman Catholics and 7 million Muslims. Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, who chairs the Catholic Bishops’ Conference Commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue, has urged believers to walk together in faith during the rare convergence. Both observances emphasize prayer, fasting, repentance, and generosity, creating what religious leaders describe as an opportunity for unity and shared reflection on peacebuilding and creation care across the archipelago.
In a rare convergence not seen in more than three decades, Ash Wednesday and the start of Ramadan will fall on the same day in the Philippines this year, with both observances beginning on February 18, 2026. This marks the first such coincidence in 33 years, bringing together the sacred seasons of approximately 85 million Roman Catholics and 7 million Muslims across the archipelago.
Two sacred seasons converge in the Philippines as 85 million Catholics and 7 million Muslims begin spiritual observances together for the first time in 33 years.
The timing depends partly on the crescent moon sighting scheduled for February 16 by the Darul Ifta in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which will confirm whether Ramadan starts on February 18 or 19. Either way, the overlap represents a significant moment in the country’s religious calendar, one that Catholic leaders are framing as an opportunity for unity. Scholars note that such overlaps are shaped by calendar differences between lunar and solar systems.
Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, who chairs the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue and serves the Diocese of Kidapawan in Cotabato City, has urged believers to walk together in faith during this period. He and other Church leaders have extended wishes for peace and unity to the Muslim community, describing the concurrent observances as a blessing for the nation’s faith journey. The bishop has also called for Christian–Muslim cooperation during this unique alignment of the two holy seasons.
Both Lent and Ramadan emphasize prayer, fasting, repentance, and generosity, though their practices differ. Muslims fast completely from food and drink between dawn and sunset, beginning their day with Fajr prayer around 5:30 a.m. Lent is observed as a 40 days before Holy Thursday season that culminates on Easter Sunday. Christians typically give up luxuries such as meat, alcohol, or sweets. Lent spans 40 days excluding Sundays, culminating in Easter, while Ramadan lasts 29 to 30 days and ends with Eid al-Fitr.
The overlap results from the Islamic lunar calendar shifting 11 days yearly against the solar calendar, causing Ramadan to move through the seasons and align with Lent roughly every three decades. Religious leaders, including those from Pax Christi, have called on both communities to use this time for shared reflection and action toward peace and creation care. The convergence offers a chance for Catholics and Muslims to recognize each other as siblings in faith, fostering compassion and transformation that extends beyond personal devotion.
