Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is only five weeks away. If that seems early compared with last year, you're right. Ash Wednesday 2013 falls nine days earlier than Ash Wednesday 2012 did. Last year, Easter fell right in the middle between the earliest date it can occur and the latest date, but this year, Easter is on the early side--and that means Ash Wednesday will be, too.
Two factors determine the date of Ash Wednesday. The first is the date of Easter. (See How Is the Date of Ash Wednesday Calculated? to learn the exact relationship between the date of Ash Wednesday and the date of Easter.) The second is the length of Lent. While Lent is 40 days, Sundays are not included in the count. (See How Are the 40 Days of Lent Calculated? for more information.) Since six Sundays fall within the 40 days of Lent, Ash Wednesday falls 46 days before Easter every year.
You can find the date of Ash Wednesday for this and future years in When Is Ash Wednesday?
Religious holidays seemed to be very complicated to calculate whatever the religion. Thanks for sharing this now I feel better about how ours fluctuate every year. Happy WW Scott.