The Orthodox fasting calendar: a simple guide to the year

Fasting in the Orthodox Church is not a diet, nor a rule to be got through. It is a way of preparing: less food and less noise, to make room for prayer, almsgiving and kinder relationships with others. With the Nativity Fast beginning on 15 November, this is a good moment to look at the fasts of the whole year.

The four major fasting seasons

• Great Lent and Holy Week: from Clean Monday until Pascha. This is the strictest period of the year.
• The Apostles' Fast: from the Monday after the Sunday of All Saints until the feast of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June. Its length changes every year, because it depends on the date of Pascha.
• The Dormition Fast: from 1 to 14 August, before the Dormition of the Mother of God. In Greece it is widely known as the Dekapentavgoustos.
• The Nativity Fast: from 15 November to 24 December, forty days before the Nativity of Christ.

Wednesdays and Fridays

Throughout the year, Wednesday and Friday are fasting days, in remembrance of Christ's betrayal and Crucifixion. There are, however, fast-free weeks, such as the week after Pascha and the period from Christmas to the eve of Theophany.

Single fasting days

Some feasts have a fast of their own, even when they do not fall on a Wednesday or Friday. The best known are the eve of Theophany, the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist on 29 August and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on 14 September.

What relaxation of the fast means

On some fasting days, certain foods that are normally avoided are permitted. Church calendars mark this with phrases such as "wine and oil allowed" or "fish allowed". For example, fish is customarily allowed on the Annunciation and on Palm Sunday during Lent, and on the Transfiguration on 6 August. Church calendars set out each day in detail.

With moderation and guidance

Fasting is shaped to the person. Children, older people, those with health conditions, pregnant women and those doing heavy work often fast differently. That is why the Church does not hand down one rule for everyone: your parish priest or spiritual father is the person who will help you find the right measure. If you have a health condition, speak to your doctor as well.

A few practical ideas

• Mark in your diary early on when each season begins.
• Plan a weekly menu around pulses, vegetables and seafood, so that fasting does not become a source of stress.
• Link your fast to something for others, such as a gift to your parish's charitable fund.

If a memorial service falls during a fast, ask the priest what applies on that day.

With Convivia, a parish can keep parishioners informed about fasting seasons and the services calendar in one place. Explore the features.