“By fasting from food, my soul, and not being cleansed from passions, we are in vain consoled by not eating: for if fasting does not bring you correction, then you will be hated by God as false, and you will become like evil demons who will never be poisoned.” (Church song)

IN Orthodox Christianity There is a tradition of abstinence called fasting. Physical fasting without spiritual fasting brings nothing to the salvation of the soul. Therefore, real fasting involves not only limiting the consumption of certain foods and drinks, but also abstaining from entertainment and pleasures for the body, as well as from communication with the world.

It is believed that satiated flesh opens the door to a person’s “unclean” passions, and fasting is a weapon that helps cleanse the soul, realize and express repentance for mistakes and sins committed. In the Russian Orthodox Church, throughout the year there are four multi-day fasts, three one-day fasts, as well as fasting on every Wednesday and Friday, with the exception of a few weeks.

Fasting is not only abstinence in food, but also a certain spiritual attitude

Calendar of fasts and meals for 2016

The article will give rules for observing fasting in full accordance with monastic traditions. Lay people are allowed not to adhere to fasting with all its severity - it is enough to exclude from the diet all food of animal origin - meat, fish (during strict fasting), eggs, all dairy and fermented milk products, as well as baked goods, sweets and alcohol. It would also be good to limit smoking, but this depends on the personal desire of the fasting person.

It is also important to remember that fasting is not a diet, therefore pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents under 14 years of age, adults who engage in heavy physical or intense mental labor, as well as people suffering from chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, ulcers are exempt from it. stomach, gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, anemia, diabetes and immune system disorders.

Lent (from March 14 to April 30)

• Monday- dry eating;
• Tuesday- hot without oil;
• Wednesday- dry eating;
• Thursday- hot without oil;
• Friday- dry eating;
• Saturday- hot with butter;
• Sunday- hot with butter.

Spring meat eater

• Wednesday- fish;
• Friday- fish.

Petrov fast (from June 27 to July 11)

• Monday- hot without oil;
• Tuesday- fish;
• Wednesday- dry eating;
• Thursday- fish;
• Friday- dry eating;
• Saturday- fish;
• Sunday- fish.

Summer meat eater

• Wednesday- dry eating;
• Friday- dry eating.

Assumption Fast (from August 14 to August 27)

• Monday- dry eating;
• Tuesday- hot without oil;
• Wednesday- dry eating;
• Thursday- hot without oil;
• Friday- dry eating;
• Saturday- hot with butter;
• Sunday- hot with butter.

Autumn meat eater

• Wednesday- dry eating;
• Friday- dry eating.

Nativity Fast (from November 28 to January 6)

November 28 - December 19

• Monday- hot without oil;
• Tuesday- fish;
• Wednesday- dry eating;
• Thursday- fish;
• Friday- dry eating;
• Saturday- fish;
• Sunday- fish.

December 20 - January 1

• Monday- hot without oil;
• Tuesday- hot with butter;
• Wednesday- dry eating;
• Thursday- hot with butter;
• Friday- dry eating;
• Saturday- fish;
• Sunday- fish.

January 2 - January 6

• Monday- dry eating;
• Tuesday- hot without oil;
• Wednesday- dry eating;
• Thursday- hot without oil;
• Friday- dry eating;
• Saturday- hot with butter;
• Sunday- hot with butter.

Winter meat eater

• Wednesday- fish;
• Friday- fish.

Lent

This is the longest and strictest fast that should be followed before. Bright Sunday of Christ will come in 2016 on May 1, so Lent will last from March 14 to April 30. According to the rules, it is prohibited to eat food during the first two days. The monks these days only drank water and prayed. Plant foods are the basis of Lent. Here is a list of products allowed for consumption:

• You can eat all vegetables and fruits in boiled, stewed and raw form, as well as dried fruits, pickled, salted and pickled vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, seeds.
• You are allowed to drink teas, herbal infusions, fruit compotes and jelly.
• You should also eat potatoes without oil, porridge with water, black and gray bread, crackers and crackers (unsweetened and unsweetened).
• Fish, seafood, caviar and vegetable oil are allowed only on certain days.
• For sweets you can eat jam, honey, and fruit.

Fish is allowed in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th week of fasting on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. In everything Sundays In addition to fish, seafood is also allowed. In addition, fish is eaten on Palm Sunday and the Annunciation. On Lazarus Saturday, on the eve of Palm Sunday, you are allowed to eat caviar. Fish should be consumed boiled, baked or stewed - of course, without creamy, sour cream and milk sauces and gravies.

To the Great Good Friday It is customary not to eat anything at all - you just need to drink water and pray. For those who find it difficult to do one fasting day on water, you can eat nuts, dried fruits, raw fruits and vegetables without vegetable oil. IN Holy Saturday(before Easter) Lenten boiled food without vegetable oil is allowed. On all other days of fasting, the laity must eat hot first and second courses every day.

Hot food is necessary for the normal functioning of the intestines and peristalsis. We can reassure those who are concerned about the lack of animal protein in their diet - it is successfully replaced by protein from legumes and soy products. And from peas, beans, lentils and soybeans you can cook a lot delicious dishes, replenishing the body's protein needs.

Petrov, or Apostolic Fast

This fast begins a week after and lasts until the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. In 2016 it will be very short, from June 27 to July 11. In addition, this is the easiest and most “delicious” post of the whole year, without strict frameworks and restrictions. Basic nutritional rules during Petrov fast:

• For the duration of the fast: completely eliminate meat, dairy and fermented milk products, eggs, alcohol and sweets.
• Monday Wednesday Friday:
• Saturday and Sunday, as well as Saints' Days: Boiled, baked or stewed fish is allowed. Also on these days it is allowed to bake fish pies - this is the only baked goods that is approved by the church.
• On all other days of fasting: You can eat fish, mushrooms, cereals and soups seasoned with vegetable oil. In Rus', dishes with greens were especially popular during this Lent - sorrel borscht, green cabbage soup, okroshka with kvass.

Dormition post

A month after the Apostolic Fast, the Assumption Fast begins. In 2016 it will last two weeks – from August 14 to 27. It is dedicated to the Mother of God and calls on the laity to imitate her in love for others, holiness and meekness. How to eat during the Assumption Fast:

• Monday Wednesday Friday: lean plant foods (raw, boiled, stewed) without vegetable oil. For those who can, it is better to stick to dry eating these days, that is, eat only raw vegetables and fruits, and also drink water.
• Tuesday Thursday: lean hot food of plant origin without oil (porridge, soups, borscht).
• Saturday and Sunday: lean hot food of plant origin with vegetable oil.
• On the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord(August 19) - you can eat fish. You are also allowed to have a fishing day in Assumption Holy Mother of God, if it falls on Wednesday or Friday.

Christmas post

It begins in the fall, 40 days before the Nativity of Christ. You will have to fast from November 28, 2015 to January 6, 2016. The fasting for fasting begins on the day of remembrance of the Holy Apostle Philip, which is why the Nativity Fast is often called Philippov. Rules for abstaining from food during the Filippov fast until the feast of St. Nicholas (December 19):

• Eliminate completely: meat, dairy and fermented milk products, eggs, alcohol and sweets.
• Monday Wednesday Friday: lean plant foods (raw, boiled, stewed) without vegetable oil. In the evening, you can only eat raw vegetables and fruits, and also drink water.
• Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: lean foods of plant origin with vegetable oil.
• Fish is allowed in: Saturday, Sunday and on major church holidays - for example, on the feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as on the days of great saints if they fall on Tuesday or Thursday. If the holiday falls on Wednesday or Friday, then wine and vegetable oil are allowed, but fish is prohibited.
• On the eve of Christmas(from January 2 to January 5) you cannot eat fish on all days. On Saturday and Sunday, food with oil is allowed.
• On Christmas Eve(January 6) you cannot eat anything until the first star - you should only drink water and pray. And the Christmas meal should begin with kutia (sochiva), washed down with uzvar (dried fruit compote).

One-day posts

One-day fasts require strict fasting unless they fall on Wednesday and Friday. Fish is prohibited, but lean foods with vegetable oil are allowed.

• Epiphany Christmas Eve(January 18). This is fasting on the eve of the Epiphany. On this day, Christians prepare for cleansing and sanctification with holy water.
• The beheading of John the Baptist (September 11). This is the day of remembrance and death of the great Prophet John.
• Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 27). This is a day of remembrance of the suffering of Christ on the cross for the salvation of the human race. It is spent in prayer, fasting and repentance.

Fasting on Wednesday and Friday

You should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays every week. Wednesday is the day when Judas betrayed the Teacher, Jesus Christ. And Friday is the day of remembrance of the sufferings on the cross and the death of Jesus Christ. The Church prohibits the consumption of any meat and dairy foods, eggs, baked goods and alcohol on Wednesday and Friday, and on the week of All Saints, before the Nativity of Christ, one must also abstain from fish and vegetable oil.

If Wednesday and Friday fall on the days of the celebrated Saints, then you can eat vegetable oil, and if Wednesday and Friday fall on major church holidays - for example, Intercession - then you are allowed to eat fish.

Fasting is a time of physical and spiritual cleansing, intended to prepare believers for religious sacraments and holidays. The main task of any fast is a person’s rethinking of his earthly existence, the search for ways of unity with God. Therefore, some dietary restrictions, combined with sincere prayers, promote reflection on the soul. When to celebrate Orthodox posts in 2016? Today we will also learn about the dates of church holidays, days of special remembrance of the dead, continuous weeks and other Orthodox events.

Calendar of Orthodox fasts and meals for 2016

With the help of such a calendar, you can always determine which fast is currently underway, as well as find out about other important dates Orthodox Church.

Lent (March 14 - April 30, 2016)

Easter is one of the most important religious holidays for Christians. However, the Light Christ's Sunday preceded by Lent or Lent, lasting almost seven weeks. Great Lent is a fast in honor of the Savior - the first and the last week(week), during which you should adhere to special dietary rules.

Nutrition during Lent 2016

According to the Church Calendar of Great Lent for 2016, believers need to adhere to dry eating on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This means that you can only eat bread, fruits, vegetables, and drink water or compotes. On Tuesday and Thursday it is allowed to eat hot food without oil, and on Saturday and Sunday - with vegetable oil.

By church canons, on the holidays of the Annunciation and Palm Sunday (April 7 and 24, respectively) you can eat fish and fish dishes, and on Lazarus Saturday (April 23) - caviar. But on Good Friday, the day of remembrance of the crucifixion, death of Christ and His burial, it is not allowed to eat food until the shroud is taken out.

Petrov fast (June 27 - July 11)

This summer fast, following Great Lent, does not require believers to strictly restrict food intake. The main purpose of Peter's Fast is to prepare Orthodox Christians for happy holiday Apostles Peter and Paul, which in 2016 is celebrated on June 12.

Orthodox Petrov fast - nutrition calendar

The holy apostles Peter and Paul were disciples of Jesus Christ - among His seventy disciples. Thanks to their virtues, Peter and Paul were awarded a special approach to the Lord - on a par with the apostles James and John the Theologian. The New Testament describes that the apostles Peter and Paul traveled around the world and brought the word of God to people. However, according to legend, the saints were killed as martyrs for God's faith - on the same day Peter was crucified on the cross and Paul was beheaded.

According to the nutrition calendar, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of Peter's Lent you should avoid eating animal products - butter, milk, eggs, cheese, poultry. Prohibited drinks include wine. Fish and fish dishes can be eaten on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends.

What foods are Orthodox Christians allowed to eat during Petrov Fast 2016? Here is the main list:

• vegetables (fresh or stewed)
• fruits and dried fruits
• nuts
• legumes and soybeans
• pickles
• fish and vegetable oil (on certain days)
• bread (whole grain)

During Orthodox Lent, you can prepare a lot of tasty and healthy dishes from permitted products. Moreover, Petrov's fast falls on the summer season, with its abundance fresh vegetables, fruits and greens.

Includes: cucumber and tomato salad, radish and pepper salad, vinaigrette, squash caviar, tomato puree soup, pea soup, green cabbage soup, cold okroshka, potato or zucchini pancakes, stuffed peppers with rice and mushrooms, boiled fish, stewed fish with vegetables, fish cutlets, fruit sorbet.

You can add vegetable oil to all these dishes on certain days.

Dormition Fast (August 14 - August 27)

Duration of this religious fast is only two weeks. The beginning of Lent coincides with the Honey Savior, then comes the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), and ends the day before the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Dormition Orthodox Fast 2016 - nutritional features

The Dormition Fast is considered almost as strict as Great Lent - during this period it is not allowed to eat fish and fish dishes, with the exception of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. According to church canons, the Assumption Fast is preparatory stage before the great church holiday- The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

As church tradition says, it was on this day that the Ascension of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Kingdom of Heaven took place, which was told about by Archangel Gabriel who appeared to Her. On the appointed day of the repose of the Mother of God, the apostles buried Her body in a cave in the Garden of Gethsemane. However, opening the tomb three days later, the apostles saw that it was empty - only the burial shrouds remained.

The holiday is called Dormition (Slavic “sleep”, “falling asleep”) because the death of the Mother of God was quiet and calm - like falling asleep. And three days later, by God’s will, the miraculous ascension of Her body to Heaven took place.

What food can you eat during the Assumption Fast 2016? According to the church calendar, believers must adhere to the following nutritional system:

• on Monday, Wednesday and Friday you are allowed to eat vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, crackers, nuts, and honey. You can drink water, but only salt is allowed as a seasoning.
• On Tuesday and Thursday, believers add hot dishes (without oil) to the menu. These include vegetable and mushroom soups, tea, coffee, compote, herbal and berry infusions.
• allowed on Saturday and Sunday sunflower oil and wine in small quantities.
• On the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord you can eat fish and seafood.

The Dormition Fast is intended to cleanse the souls of Orthodox Christians through prayer, repentance and renunciation of bodily and spiritual pleasures.

Nativity Fast (November 28 - January 6, 2017)

The Nativity Fast begins on November 28, 2016, and ends on January 6, 2017. This winter Orthodox fast lasts from late autumn until the Nativity of Christ. Another name for the Nativity Fast is Philip's Fast, since it begins just after St. Philip's Day, celebrated on November 27.

The main purpose of the Nativity Fast is to give thanks to the Lord God for the fruits of earthly blessings - in the form of spiritual and physical abstinence. The basic principles of nutrition during the Nativity Fast (for the period until December 19) completely coincide with Peter’s Fast. But after St. Nicholas the Wonderworker's Day, you are allowed to eat fish on weekends.

Meals during Orthodox Lent before Christmas

On the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the church charter imposes restrictions on fish on weekdays, and hot food with vegetable oil is allowed on weekends. In addition, until the first star appears in the heavens on Christmas Eve (before Christmas), you should abstain from food. Then, when the appointed hour arrives, you can eat boiled wheat grains or rice, seasoned with honey, dried fruits or jam. This dish is called “kutya” or “sochivo”.

Solid weeks - 2016

A week is a full seven-day week, with no fasting on Wednesday and Friday. According to the church calendar, in 2016 there are five continuous weeks:

• January 7 - 18 - Christmastide
• February 22 - 28 - The Publican and the Pharisee
• March 7 - 13 - Cheese Maslenitsa
• May 2 - 8 - Bright Easter Week
• June 20 - 26 - Trinity Week

One-day posts - 2016

One-day fasts are days of strict fasting on the eve of important religious holidays, with the exception of Wednesday and Friday. On these days, the consumption of vegetable oil is allowed, but fish is prohibited. Here is the schedule of Orthodox one-day fasts for 2016:

• January 18 (Epiphany Eve) - fasting before the day of Epiphany
• September 11 - Beheading of John the Baptist
• September 27 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Days of special remembrance of the dead - 2016

• 5.03 - Meat Saturday (Parents' Saturday)
• 26.03 - Saturday of the 2nd week of Lent
• 2.04 - Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent
• 9.04 - Saturday of the 4th week of Lent
• 9.05 - Commemoration of deceased soldiers
• 10.05 - Radonitsa
• 18.06 - Trinity parent's Saturday
• 5.11 - Dimitrievskaya parent Saturday

Orthodox fasts in 2016 are periods not only of food restrictions, but also of great spiritual work for a believer. This is a time of atonement for sins, forgiveness, correction of the soul, prayers and reflection on spiritual things. Fasting in Orthodoxy encourages a person’s soul to “wake up,” find spiritual joy and become closer to God.

Orthodox church calendar for 2016

Fasting is not just a restriction on culinary delights, it is a complex spiritual practice that is harmoniously combined with reading religious traditions and spiritual restrictions. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the calendar of posts that will take place in 2016. Believers must understand that fasting in 2016 is about prayer and the fight against worldly passions, which should be abandoned on these holy days.

Lent in 2016

Lent is the time when Jesus Christ fasted for forty days while he was in the desert. Fasting is preparation for the most important holiday dedicated to the resurrection of Christ - Easter.

Orthodox Lent in 2016 will fall on the dates from March 14 to April 30, and is divided into 7 weeks. The first and last weeks involve strict restrictions on food and rejection of worldly temptations. Such restrictions are due to the fact that on the first and last days of fasting, believers completely refuse food, for the glory of Christ, and can only consume water. On the second day of the week you can eat bread. Food is eaten only raw and without the addition of vegetable and animal fat.

1. Monday: raw food and water;
2. Tuesday: boiled vegetables, porridge without oil;
3. Wednesday: raw food and water;
4. Thursday: porridge with water and raw vegetables;
5. Friday: raw food and water;
6. Saturday: boiled vegetables and porridge with butter, a little wine;
7. Sunday: menu same as Saturday.

Peter's Fast (Apostolic Fast)

The beginning of the Week of All Saints is the Fast of the Holy Apostles, which precedes the Feast of Peter and Paul. This is a summer fast and its date depends on the date of Easter. Petrov's fast always begins on Monday and ends on July 12th. The longest fast lasts 6 weeks, the shortest – 1 week and 1 day.

Fasting was established in honor of the Holy Apostles, who, through their fervent prayer and food restrictions, prepared for the worldwide preaching of the Word of God and prepared successors in the work of saving service.

On Wednesday and Friday of Lent, only dry eating is allowed. On Monday you can eat boiled food, but without dressing. On other days, you can eat porridge without oil, mushrooms, and lean fish.

Dormition post

The Dormition Fast is the ascetic preparation of the believer for the celebration of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many Orthodox fasts in 2016 have floating dates that depend on other holidays.

In terms of the severity of its implementation, this post is not inferior to the Great. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, eat only raw food and drink water. On Tuesday and Thursday they eat boiled vegetables and porridge, but without oil. Eat food with oil and drink church wine Possible only on Saturday and Sunday. On the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which will be August 19, you can eat mushrooms and fish.

The Nativity church fast in 2016 is a preparation for the most blessed holiday - the Nativity of Christ. Winter fasting begins on November 28 and ends on January 6. The Nativity Fast is also called Philippov, since it begins after the memory of the Apostle Philip.

The regulations regarding the severity of food coincide exactly with the Apostolic Fast. If Orthodox holiday falls on Wednesday or Friday, then it is allowed to eat fish on this day. From December 19, it is allowed to eat fish on Saturdays and Sundays, eat boiled cereals with butter and drink a little church wine.

On Christmas Eve, it is forbidden to eat food during the day and you can only eat something soggy - boiled rice with raisins or wheat boiled in honey.

Throughout the year there are one-day fasts observed by Orthodox believers:

• On Wednesday and Friday you should abstain from meat, fatty and dairy foods. Alcohol is prohibited.
• Epiphany Christmas Eve - January 18.
• The beheading of John the Baptist - September 11. On this day, believers observe fasting in memory of the death of the prophet John.
• The Exaltation of Christ the Lord - on this day the strictest fast is observed, which falls on September 27th. All day long, believers pray and confess their sins.

Weeks

Week is the Church Slavonic name for the week. Continuous weeks are established as some relief before a multi-day fast:

• Christmas time starts on January 7 and ends on January 18, 2016.
• The Publican and the Pharisee begins two weeks before Lent, on February 22 and ends on February 28, 2016.
• Cheese Week or Maslenitsa begins before Lent. You can eat everything except meat. In 2016, it starts on March 7 and ends on March 13.
• Easter week begins after Easter, on May 2 and lasts until May 8.
• Trinity Week begins immediately after Trinity, on June 20 and ends on June 26.

Fasting in 2016 involves observing strictness on Wednesdays and Fridays. On Wednesday, believers fast in memory of the tragedy of Judas' betrayal. On Friday, fasting is observed in memory of the suffering of Christ and his death.

The moving part of the church calendar moves along with the date of Easter, which changes from year to year. The date of Easter celebration itself is determined according to lunar calendar and a number of additional dogmatic factors (not to celebrate Easter with the Jews, to celebrate Easter only after the spring equinox, to celebrate Easter only after the first spring full moon). All holidays with variable dates are counted from Easter and move in time on the “secular” calendar along with it.

Thus, both parts of the Easter calendar (movable and fixed) together determine the calendar of Orthodox holidays.

Below are the most significant ones for Orthodox Christian events - the so-called Twelfth Holidays and Great Holidays. Although the Orthodox Church celebrates holidays according to the “old style”, which differs by 13 days, the dates in the Calendar, for convenience, are indicated according to the generally accepted secular calendar of the new style.

Orthodox calendar for 2016:

07.01 - Nativity of Christ (twelfth)
14.01 - Circumcision of the Lord (great)
19.01 - Epiphany of the Lord (twelfth)
15.02 - Presentation of the Lord (twelfth)
07.04 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
21.05 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
22.05 - St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, wonderworker
07.07 - Nativity of John the Baptist (great)
12.07 - Holy First. apostles Peter and Paul (great)
19.08 - Transfiguration of the Lord (twelfth)
28.08 - Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
11.09 - Beheading of John the Baptist (great)
21.09 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
27.09 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross (twelfth)
09.10 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
14.10 - Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary (great)
04.12 - Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
19.12 - St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, wonderworker

Days of special remembrance of the dead

05.03 - Ecumenical Parents' Saturday (Saturday before the week of Last Judgment)
26.03 - Ecumenical Parental Saturday of the 2nd week of Lent
02.04 - Ecumenical Parental Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent
09.04 - Ecumenical Parental Saturday of the 4th week of Lent
10.05 - Radonitsa (Tuesday of the 2nd week of Easter)
09.05 - Commemoration of deceased soldiers
18.06 - Trinity Parents' Saturday (Saturday before Trinity)
05.11 - Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday (Saturday before November 8)

ABOUT ORTHODOX HOLIDAYS:

TWELVETH HOLIDAYS

In worship Orthodox Church twelve great holidays of the annual liturgical circle (except Easter). Divided into The Lord's, dedicated to Jesus Christ, and the Theotokos, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

According to the time of celebration, the twelfth holidays are divided into motionless(non-transient) and movable(transitionable). The former are constantly celebrated on the same dates of the month, the latter fall on different dates every year, depending on the date of celebration Easter.

ABOUT MEAL ON HOLIDAYS:

According to the Church Charter on holidays Nativity of Christ And Epiphanies, happened on Wednesday and Friday, there is no post.

IN Christmas And Epiphany Christmas Eve and on holidays Exaltation of the Holy Cross And Beheading of John the Baptist Food with vegetable oil is allowed.

On the feasts of the Presentation, Transfiguration of the Lord, Dormition, Nativity and Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday, as well as in the period from Easter before Trinity Fish is allowed on Wednesday and Friday.

ABOUT FASTS IN ORTHODOXY:

Fast- a form of religious asceticism, the exercise of spirit, soul and body on the path to salvation within the framework of a religious view; voluntary self-restraint in food, entertainment, communication with the world. Corporal fasting- food restriction; sincere post- limitation of external impressions and pleasures (solitude, silence, prayerful concentration); spiritual fast - struggle with one’s “bodily lusts”, a period of especially intense prayer.

The most important thing is to realize that physical fasting without spiritual fasting brings nothing to the salvation of the soul. On the contrary, it can be spiritually harmful if a person, abstaining from food, becomes imbued with the consciousness of his own superiority and righteousness. “He who believes that fasting only means abstaining from food is mistaken. True fasting“, - teaches St. John Chrysostom, “is removal from evil, curbing the tongue, putting aside anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies and perjury.” Fast- not a goal, but a means to distract yourself from enjoying your body, concentrate and think about your soul; without all this, it becomes just a diet.

Great Lent, Holy Pentecost(Greek Tessarakoste; Lat. Quadragesima) - the period of the liturgical year preceding Holy Week And Easter holiday, the most important of the multi-day fasts. Due to Easter may fall on different dates of the calendar, Lent also each year starts on different days. It includes 6 weeks, or 40 days, which is why it is also called.

Fast St. Pentecostal- This For Orthodox man a set of good deeds, sincere prayer, abstinence in everything, including food. Physical fasting is necessary to perform spiritual and mental fasting; all of them in their combination form the post is true, promoting the spiritual reunification of those who fast with God. IN days of fasting(days of fasting) the Church Charter prohibits modest food - meat and dairy products; fish is allowed only on some days fast days. IN

days of strict fasting installed as a sign that Christ was betrayed by Judas on Wednesday and crucified on Friday. Saint Athanasius the Great said: “By allowing meat to be eaten on Wednesday and Friday, this man crucifies the Lord.” During the summer and autumn meat-eaters (periods between the Petrov and Uspensky fasts and between the Uspensky and Rozhdestvensky fasts), Wednesday and Friday are days of strict fasting. During winter and spring meat-eaters (from Christmas to Lent and from Easter to Trinity), the Charter allows fish on Wednesday and Friday. Fish on Wednesday and Friday is also permitted when the holidays of the Presentation of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the Entry of the Virgin Mary into the Temple, the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, and the Apostle John the Theologian fall on these days. If the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany fall on Wednesday and Friday, then fasting on these days is canceled. On the evening (eve, Christmas Eve) of the Nativity of Christ (usually a day of strict fasting), which happens on Saturday or Sunday, food with vegetable oil is allowed.

Solid weeks(in Church Slavonic, a week is called a week - days from Monday to Sunday) means the absence of fasting on Wednesday and Friday. Established by the Church as a relaxation before a multi-day fast or as a rest after it. The continuous weeks are as follows:
1. Christmas time - from January 7 to January 18 (11 days), from Christmas to Epiphany.
2. The Publican and the Pharisee - two weeks before Great Lent.
3. Cheese - the week before Lent (eggs, fish and dairy are allowed throughout the week, but without meat).
4. Easter (Light) - week after Easter.
5. Trinity - the week after Trinity (the week before Peter's Fast).

One-day posts except Wednesday and Friday (days of strict fasting, no fish, but food with vegetable oil is allowed):
1. Epiphany Eve (Epiphany Eve) January 18, the day before the feast of the Epiphany. On this day, believers prepare themselves to accept the great shrine - Agiasma - Epiphany Holy Water, for purification and sanctification with it at the upcoming holiday.
2. Beheading of John the Baptist - September 11. On this day, a fast was established in memory of the abstinent life of the great prophet John and his lawless murder by Herod.
3. Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27. This day reminds us of the sad event on Golgotha, when “for our salvation” the Savior of the human race suffered on the Cross. And therefore this day must be spent in prayer, fasting, contrition for sins, in a feeling of repentance.

MULTI-DAY POSTS:

1. Great Lent or Holy Pentecost.
It begins seven weeks before the holiday of Holy Easter and consists of Pentecost (forty days) and Holy Week(the week leading up to Easter). Pentecost was established in honor of the forty-day fast of the Savior Himself, and Holy Week - in remembrance last days earthly life, suffering, death and burial of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
The total continuation of Great Lent along with Holy Week is 48 days.
The days from the Nativity of Christ to Lent (until Maslenitsa) are called Christmas or winter meat-eater. This period contains three continuous weeks - Christmastide, Publican and Pharisee, Maslenitsa. After Christmastide, fish is allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays, until the whole week (when you can eat meat on all days of the week), which comes after the “Week of the Publican and the Pharisee” (“week” in Church Slavonic means “Sunday”). In the next week, after the full week, fish is no longer allowed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but vegetable oil is still allowed. Monday - food with butter, Wednesday, Friday - cold food without butter. This establishment has the purpose of gradual preparation for Great Lent. The last time before Lent, meat is allowed on the “Meat Eating Week” - the Sunday before Maslenitsa.
In the next week - cheese week (Maslenitsa), eggs, fish, and dairy products are allowed all week, but they no longer eat meat. They make a fast for Lent (the last time they eat fast food, with the exception of meat) on the last day of Maslenitsa - Forgiveness Sunday. This day is also called “Cheese Week”. It is customary to observe the first and Holy Weeks of Great Lent with particular strictness. On Monday of the first week of Lent (Clean Monday) fasting - complete abstinence from food (pious laymen who have ascetic experience abstain from food on Tuesday as well). During the remaining weeks of fasting: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - cold food without oil, Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil (vegetables, cereals, mushrooms), on Saturday and Sunday vegetable oil is allowed and, if necessary for health, a little pure grape wine (but in no case vodka). If the memory of a great saint occurs (with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before), then on Tuesday and Thursday - food with vegetable oil, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - hot food without oil. You can find out about the holidays in the Typikon or the Followed Psalter. Fish is allowed twice during the entire fast: on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (if the holiday did not fall on Holy Week) and on Palm Sunday, on Lazarus Saturday (the Saturday before Palm Sunday) fish caviar is allowed, On Friday of Holy Week it is customary not to eat any food until the shroud is taken out (our ancestors did not eat food at all on Good Friday).
Bright Week(the week after Easter) - continuous - fasting is allowed on all days of the week. Since next week after the continuous season until Trinity (spring meat-eater), fish is allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays. The week between Trinity and Peter's Fast is continuous.

2. Petrov or Apostolic Fast.
Lent begins a week after the feast of the Holy Trinity and ends on July 12, the day of the celebration of the memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. Established in honor of the holy apostles and in remembrance of the fact that the holy apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, dispersed to all countries with the good news, always being in the feat of fasting and prayer. The duration of this post is different years
In the period from the end of Peter's fast to the beginning of the Assumption fast (summer meat-eater), Wednesday and Friday are days of strict fasting. But if these days fall on the feasts of a great saint with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before, then food with vegetable oil is allowed. If temple holidays occur on Wednesday and Friday, then fish is also allowed.

3. Assumption Fast (from August 14 to August 27).
Erected in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Herself Mother of God, preparing to leave for eternal life, constantly fasted and prayed. We, the spiritually infirm and weak, should all the more resort to fasting as often as possible, turning to Holy Virgin for help in every need and sorrow.
This fast lasts only two weeks, but its severity is consistent with the Great One.

Fish is allowed only on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), and if the end of the fast (Assumption) falls on Wednesday or Friday, then this day is also a fish day. Monday, Wednesday, Friday - cold food without oil, Tuesday and Thursday - hot food without oil, Saturday and Sunday - food with vegetable oil. Wine is prohibited on all days. If the memory of a great saint happens, then on Tuesday and Thursday - hot food with butter, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - hot food without butter.
The food regulations on Wednesdays and Fridays during the period from the end of the Dormition Fast to the beginning of the Nativity Fast (autumn fast) are the same as during the summer meat-eater, i.e. on Wednesdays and Fridays, fish is allowed only on the days of the twelfths and temple holidays. Food with vegetable oil on Wednesday and Friday is allowed only if these days fall on holidays in memory of a great saint with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before. 4. Christmas (Filippov) fast (from November 28 to January 6). observed in the same way as during the days of Great Lent: fish is prohibited on all days, food with oil is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. On Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve), January 6, pious custom requires not to eat food until the appearance of the first evening star, after which it is customary to eat kolivo or sochivo - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins; in some areas sochivo is called boiled dry fruits with sugar. The name of this day comes from the word “sochivo” - Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is also before the feast of the Epiphany. On this day (January 18), it is also customary not to eat food until taking Agiasma - Epiphany holy water, which begins to be blessed on the very day of Christmas Eve.

) is a summer fast that lasts for several (8 - 42) days. It arose in memory of Peter and Paul, the apostles revered by Christians. In different years, this fast has a different number of days; the duration directly depends on the date on which Easter is celebrated. Thus, fasting in different years lasts from eight to forty-two days.

In this regard, many are wondering: when will Peter’s Fast begin in 2016? We emphasize that the above-mentioned fast will begin on Monday, the twenty-seventh of June 2016, the duration will be fifteen days, and its end will be on the eleventh of July.

The countdown starts from Easter, a week after Trinity.

This holiday is celebrated with family, at a laid table. It is necessary to create an atmosphere of love, peace and complacency in the house.

From traditions, signs and beliefs, the following are known:

• they pray to the holy apostles Peter and Paul for well-being, protection in business and health (at high temperatures);
• because Peter was a fisherman; people involved in fishing ask him for help and intercession;
• in some areas it was customary for the entire village or hamlet to break their fast by setting tables near the church, at which the entire local population gathered after the service.

Petrov fast 2016: Nutrition calendar by day

Many people are interested in the question of how to behave during fasting, what and when they can eat, and what foods they should give up for a while. However, Christians remember, and some priests remind us in church, that “you need to fast with your spirit, not your belly.”

Therefore, Petrov's fast, like any other religious fast, is not a diet, but a strengthening of the spirit. The meaning of religious fasting is always not just a refusal of meat and fatty foods, but merciful actions, correction and repentance for one’s sins.
Let us list the nutritional rules that are recommended to be followed during Peter's Fast.

Unlike Great Lent itself, which is the longest and strictest, observing Peter's Fast is a little easier. It is forbidden to eat eggs, milk and dairy products, and meat. On some days, fish dishes are allowed. Of course, this summer fast is based on dishes made from vegetables, cereals, berries and herbs. The most accessible dishes are okroshka, lean borscht, cabbage soup, and botvinya.

On Monday you can eat hot food without oil. On days like this Tuesday, Thursday, as well as by Saturdays And Sundays it is permissible to eat fish, while Wednesday And Friday are considered days of dry eating (honey and nuts, salt, water, raw fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, bread are allowed). Wine is also allowed on weekends.

On the seventh of July, on the day of the Nativity of John the Baptist, it is allowed to cook and eat seafood and fish.
Twelfth of July The day of Peter and Paul is celebrated; it is no longer included in the fast. But at the same time, if this holiday falls on two days like Wednesday and Friday, then it also becomes fasting with the opportunity to eat fish and butter.
Let's take a closer look at the nutritional plan during Peter's Fast 2016.

Twenty-seventh of June, fourth and eleventh of July- hot food is allowed without adding oil. You can cook stewed vegetables or mushrooms, cook porridge and soups.

June 28, June 30, weekends, the second and third, July 5, 9 and 10 - on these days you can eat fish and seafood.
June 29, the first, sixth and eighth of July are days of dry eating. As mentioned above, raw (without boiling) vegetables and fruits, as well as bread, salt, dried fruits, honey and nuts, and water are allowed on this day.

The seventh of July will be the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. Fish dishes are allowed on this day.