When the Epiphany Fast begins. Orthodox church calendar

Fasting and meal calendar 2019 Orthodox fasting 2019

Orthodox calendar of fasts and meals for 2019 with an indication and brief description multi-day and one-day fasts and continuous weeks.

Otherwise, everyone can determine for themselves the measure of permissibility and restrictions during Lent, taking into account their way of life, social status and the measure of responsibility to themselves. Please note that the rules of Fasting are designed for monastics and those who voluntarily decide to be strict, while secular people can decide for themselves which of the precepts they should adhere to.
Fasting is not in the belly, but in the spirit
Folk proverb

The beginning of Great Lent gives Christians the opportunity to change, renew and be reborn for a bright life with a pure and exultant heart. You need to think about how to fast in Great Lent 2016 correctly from April 14, since it starts from that very day. The success of your spiritual and physical transformation depends on the correct attitude and well-coordinated work of the body, soul and mind.

For ignorant people, fasting may seem too strict and difficult, however, with the right approach and knowledge, it will bring you joy.

The essence of fasting is manifested in the fact that a person decides to voluntarily abstain from his flesh. There is a certain element of sacrifice and asceticism here. Meanwhile, Great Lent is not only bodily, it is directly related to spiritual fasting. Its meaning is in the eradication of addictions, getting rid of evil thoughts, in the mood for love for one's neighbor and in kindness.

Therefore, if you are starving, but at the same time continue to do evil deeds and live in evil, all your efforts will be in vain. You will not reach the main point of fasting, which will turn personally for you into a regular diet. Take note of a few tips on how to fast properly - they will be relevant not only in 2016, but also in the future.

Nothing in life is easy. And to celebrate the holiday, you need to prepare for it.
In the Russian Orthodox Church, there are four multi-day fasts, fast on Wednesday and Friday throughout the year (except for a few weeks), and three one-day fasts.

The Church allows significant indulgences during Lent for children under 14 years of age, nursing or pregnant women, military personnel and travelers, as well as people engaged in hard and physical labor and the sick.

ATTENTION! Below you will find information on dry eating, eating without oil, and fasting days. All this is a long-standing monastic tradition, which even in monasteries cannot always be observed in our time. Such strict fasting is not for the laity, but the usual practice is abstaining from eggs, dairy and meat foods during fasting and during strict fasting - also abstaining from fish. For all possible questions and about your individual measure of fasting, you need to consult with your spiritual father.

Dates are in the new style

The Savior himself was led by the spirit into the wilderness, for forty days he was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during those days. The Savior by fasting began the work of our salvation. Great Lent is a fast in honor of the Savior Himself, and the last Passion Week of this forty-eight-day fast is established in honor of the memory of last days earthly life, suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Fasting is observed with particular rigor during the first and passionate weeks.
Complete abstinence from food is taken on clean Monday. The rest of the time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry food (water, bread, fruits, vegetables, compotes); Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil; Saturday, Sunday - food with vegetable oil.
Fish is allowed in the Annunciation Holy Mother of God(April 7) and Palm Sunday. On Lazarev Saturday, fish caviar is allowed. On Good Friday, food must not be eaten before the shroud is taken out.


From Monday of the week of all Saints, the fast of the Holy Apostles begins, established before the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul. This post is called a summer post. The continuation of the fast is different, depending on how sooner or later Easter happens.
It constantly starts on All Saints Monday and ends on July 12th. The longest Petrov fast includes six weeks, and the shortest one a week with a day. This fast was established in honor of the Holy Apostles, who by fasting and prayer were preparing for the worldwide preaching of the Gospel and preparing their successors in the work of saving ministry.
Strict fasting (dry eating) on ​​Wednesday and Friday. On Monday you can eat hot food without oil. On other days - fish, mushrooms, cereals with vegetable oil.


A month after the Apostolic Lent, the many-day Dormition Fast begins. It lasts two weeks - from 14 to 27 August. By this fast, the Church calls us to imitate the Mother of God, who, before her transfer to heaven, was incessantly in fasting and prayer.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry food. Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil. On Saturday and Sunday, food with vegetable oil is allowed.
On the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord (19 August) fish is allowed. Fish day in Assumption, if it falls on Wednesday or Friday.

Rozhdestvensky (Filippov) post. At the end of autumn, 40 days before the great feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church calls us to the winter fast. It is called Filippov, because it begins after the day dedicated to the memory of the Apostle Philip, and Rozhdestvensky, because it happens before the feast of the Nativity of Christ.
This fast is established in order for us to bring the Lord a grateful sacrifice for the earthly fruits collected and to prepare for the grace-filled union with the born Savior.
The food charter coincides with the charter of St. Peter's Lent, until the day of St. Nicholas (December 19).
If the feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos falls on Wednesday or Friday, then fish is allowed. After the feast day of St. Nicholas and before the prefeast of Christmas, fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday. On the eve of the feast, you cannot eat fish all the days, on Saturday and Sunday - food with butter.
On Christmas Eve, you cannot eat food until the first star appears, after which it is customary to taste soothing - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins.

Seven is a week from Monday to Sunday. These days, there is no fasting on Wednesday and Friday.
- There are five continuous weeks:
- Christmastide -
- Publican and Pharisee - 2 weeks before Great Lent from February 6
-Cheese (Shrovetide) - the week before Lent (no meat)
- Easter (Light) - the week after Easter from April 11 to April 27, 2019,
- Trinity - a week after Trinity.

Fasting Wednesday and Friday

The weekly fast days are Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday fasting is established in remembrance of Judas' betrayal of Christ, on Friday - in memory of the sufferings of the Cross and the death of the Savior. On these days of the week, the Holy Church prohibits the use of meat and dairy foods, and during the week of All Saints before the Nativity of Christ, abstinence from fish and vegetable oil... Only when Wednesday and Friday are the days of the celebrated saints is vegetable oil allowed, and on the biggest holidays, such as the Intercession, fish.
Some indulgence is allowed for those who are sick and busy with hard work, so that Christians have the strength for prayer and the necessary labor, but the use of fish on the wrong days, and even more so the complete permission of fasting by the charter is rejected.


One-day fasts

Epiphany Eve, on the eve of the Epiphany of the Lord. On this day, Christians prepare for cleansing and consecration with holy water on the feast of Epiphany.
- The beheading of John the Baptist - September 11. This is the day of remembrance and death of the great prophet John.
- Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Memory of the Savior's suffering on the cross for the salvation of the human race. This day is spent in prayer, fasting, contrition for sins.
- One-day fasts - days of strict fasting (except Wednesday and Friday). Fish is prohibited, but food with vegetable oil is allowed.

Orthodox holidays. About the meal on holidays

According to the Church Charter, there is no fast on the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany, which happened on Wednesday and Friday. In Rozhdestvensky and Epiphany eve and on the feasts of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Beheading of the head of John the Baptist, food with vegetable oil is allowed. On the feasts of the Meeting, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Dormition, the Nativity and the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her Entry into the Temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which happened on Wednesday and Friday, as well as from Easter to Trinity on Wednesday and Friday fish allowed.

When there is no marriage

On the eve of Wednesdays and Fridays of the whole year (Tuesday and Thursday), Sundays (Saturday), Twelve, Temple and Great Feasts; in continuation of the posts: Velikiy, Petrov, Uspensky, Rozhdestvensky; during Christmastide, on Meat Week, during Cheese Week (Maslenitsa) and on Cheese Week; during the Easter (Bright) week and during the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27.
You should also not forget that your rationality in relation to your strengths and capabilities is higher than the feat of observing Great Lent at any cost.

Fasting is an integral part of the Christian faith. This is a voluntary refusal of mental and physical satiety. In other words, abstinence. At such a time, a person limits himself in pleasures, amusements, food and drinks for the sake of prayer and godly deeds. In Orthodox Christianity, the time of fasting is equated with holidays. Sometimes the number of fasting days reaches two hundred.

Basic information

Every year, all Christian believers observe 4 multi-day and 3 one-day fasts. All alone are equated with the great celebrations of the church. The tradition of fasting on Fridays and Wednesdays has also survived to this day. The exception was the days of continuous weeks, when one cannot limit oneself from food.

Modest nutrition is considered an important component of any fast, although against the background of spiritual cleansing, this is only a kind of addition to complete harmony with oneself. At the same time, very often the transition to the use of more modest food improves human health. It should be remembered that during any fast, without exception, it is forbidden to eat food of animal origin: meat, fish and eggs. In no case should you eat dairy products: sour cream, kefir, butter, fermented baked milk and the like. Also, during the fast, you cannot eat fatty desserts, fast food and sweet pastries. It is also a good idea to limit the use of salt, spices in dishes and sugar. But alcohol in the form of unfortified wine is allowed only on Saturdays and Sundays, or on the days of commemoration of saints.

Also in the calendar, you can note such a diet as dry eating. This means that a person must refuse any food that has previously been cooked. Most often, such a diet includes bread, dried fruits, honey, nuts, raw fruits and vegetables. Usually, dry eating is used during fasting only by Old Believers and monks. In the world, such abstinence is inherent in priests.

The rest period between fasts is called meat-eaters and it is better to know in advance what date it starts. During this time, it is allowed to use food of animal origin. A person needs a meat eater in order so that the body can restore the necessary level of protein in the body, and the most important vitamins. True, one should not be too fanatic about this, and at any suitable opportunity to engage in gluttony. After abstinence, a sharp overeating of fatty and sugary foods can lead to a sharp jump in blood sugar.

Posts calendar

Great Lent - 27.02-15.04

The most important post in 2017 for all Christians. It precedes Easter and honors the memory of Jesus Christ. On weekdays, food can be eaten only once a day cold (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) or warm (Thursday, Tuesday). On weekends, you can eat twice a day and even use unfortified wine. Such strict rules of abstinence must be observed especially carefully during the first and last week of this fast. On February 27, as well as on April 14 and 15, food is not allowed at all. If you cannot starve for health reasons, you should simply eat only vegetables, nuts and unprocessed fruits.

Hot food with butter can be consumed only on the days of remembrance of the great saints, which usually fall on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday. If such holidays fall on Wednesday or Thursday, you should not add oil to your food, although you can drink wine. But fish can be eaten on April 7, on the day of the Annunciation, and on April 9, when Palm Sunday is held in 2017.

1. Monday - dry eating.

3. Wednesday - dry eating.

5. Friday - dry eating.

Petrov post - 12.06-11.07

The main difference between the Petrovsky Lent and the Great Lent is the ability to eat fish. This post is dedicated to the memory of Peter and Paul - two disciples of Christ. The period of abstinence should begin 7 days after the Trinity, while the food itself will no longer be as strict as during Great Lent. For example, on Monday you can eat hot food with butter. On the birthday of Jonah the Forerunner, June 7, you can add fish to the diet. It is better to serve seafood to the table in a boiled, baked or stewed form. But the church strictly prohibits fried fish. On weekends, you can have some wine.

2. Tuesday - fish dishes.
3. Wednesday - dry eating.
4. Thursday - fish dishes.
5. Friday - dry eating.
6. Saturday - fish dishes.

This post was established by the church in honor of the Virgin Mary. In 2017, believers will honor the memory of this saint by restricting food and entertainment. During the two-week fast, the diet is fairly straightforward. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, only cold dry food is allowed, while hot food without oil is allowed on all other days.

August 19 - The feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is considered a fish day. This day is called the Savior, of which there are only 3 in the Orthodox calendar.

1. August 14 - Savior of Honey or the Origin of the Cross of the Lord. On this day, apiary products are consecrated in the church, which can be freely consumed on this day.

2. August 19 - Apple Savior or the Transfiguration of the Lord. On this holiday, fruits are brought to the church, which must be in the diet.

1. Monday - dry eating.
2. Tuesday - hot food without added oil.
3. Wednesday - dry eating.
4. Thursday - hot food without added oil.
5. Friday - dry eating.
6. Saturday - hot food with butter.
7. Sunday - hot food with butter.

Nativity Fast - 28.11-06.01

The winter fast is timed to coincide with the feast of the Nativity of Jesus Christ. The period of prolonged abstinence begins on Philip Day and ends on Bright Christmas Eve. In the first week of fasting, the menu completely coincides with the Peter's fast. True, fish at this time is strictly prohibited.

On December 4, the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated - a great holiday, in honor of which we can only serve fish dishes, hot food with oil and wine. After Nikolai, fish is again excluded from the diet. But after the New Year 2017, oil can be added to food only on weekends. On January 6, it is worth refraining from food throughout the day until the first star appears in the sky. On this day, it is better to pray and drink water. For a festive dinner, kutia is usually prepared, and an uzvar is used as a drink.

1. Monday - hot food without added oil.
2. Tuesday - fish dishes.
3. Wednesday - dry eating.
4. Thursday - fish dishes.
5. Friday - dry eating.
6. Saturday - fish dishes.
7. Sunday - fish dishes.

1. Monday - hot food without added oil.
2. Tuesday - hot food with butter.
3. Wednesday - dry eating.
4. Thursday - hot food with butter.
5. Friday - dry eating.
6. Saturday - fish dishes.
7. Sunday - fish dishes.

January 2 to January 6

1. Monday - dry eating.

2. Tuesday - hot food without added oil.
3. Wednesday - dry eating.
4. Thursday - hot food without added oil.
5. Friday - dry eating.
6. Saturday - hot food with butter.
7. Sunday - hot food with butter.

Fast on Wednesdays and Fridays

Both Wednesday and Friday are considered weekly one-day fasts. Abstaining from food on Wednesday is timed to coincide with the betrayal of Christ by Judas, and on Fridays people commemorate the torture of Christ on the cross. On these days, it is strictly forbidden to eat any food of animal origin. If, on any of these days, the day of remembrance of some saint falls, then the ban on eating food with vegetable oil is lifted. On major Christian holidays, fish can also be added to the diet. Another restriction regarding nutrition is removed during the Continuous Weeks:

• January 7-18 - the period of Christmastide;
• February 6-12 - Week of the Publican and Pharisee;
• February 20-26 - Shrovetide or Cheese Week, when you can't eat meat;
• April 17-23 - Bright or Easter week;
• June 5-11 - Trinity Week.

One-day fasts

In the Orthodox calendar, there are 3 additional holidays, when you also need to fast. Believers at this time should not eat food of animal origin and fish. But hot food with vegetable oil is allowed.

1. January 18 - Christmas Eve before Epiphany. On this day, it is worth preparing for the upcoming holiday, not eating or drinking until the candle is taken out of the church after the morning liturgy. On this day, it is also customary to cook kutya and uzvar. All other dishes on the table must necessarily be lean, while their total number must be equal to seven, nine or twelve.

2. September 11 - Beheading of John the Baptist. On this day of 2017, all Orthodox Christians commemorate the death of John the Baptist, whose head was cut off by the decree of King Herod. On this day, nothing can be cut, so any dish should be prepared in advance. Also, do not put food on the table in a round dish. Usually these days they prefer to eat pies, oatmeal jelly and mushroom soup.

3. September 27 - Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. On this day, Christians around the world commemorate Jesus Christ, who was tortured on the cross. It is also prohibited to eat food of animal origin at this time of 2017.

It is worth noting that there are some groups of believers for whom the prohibitions during fasting can be slightly relaxed. These are pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children under the age of 14. Also, the elderly and sick people, as well as all those who are engaged in hard physical labor, can count on relief. True, before doing this, you should still talk to your spiritual mentor in advance.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that fasting is mainly aimed at repentance and humility, so even if you cannot refuse some food, just pray. Believe me, you will always be heard.

During the days of Great Lent (Lent), every Orthodox Christian must realize where and in what he sinned, and must also repent before God. The soul of a believer must completely get rid of negative manifestations and be filled with virtue. This is the main goal of the 48-day pre-Easter period. During the Forty-Year period, it is necessary to adhere to certain restrictions, follow all the commandments, pray and attend services.

Attention! There is a widespread misconception that Lent should last 40 days: as long as Jesus Christ spent in the wilderness. However, it must be borne in mind that this adds 8 days, during which the Son of God was betrayed, seized by the Jews and crucified. This is the most severe period of Holy Week. Therefore, full preparation for Easter takes exactly 48 days.

Every year, the Orthodox celebrate the feast of the Resurrection of Christ in different time: in the middle or end of April and also in May. The timing of Great Lent changes depending on this. In 2017, it starts on February 27th. The Forty Day will end on April 15, and the next day the believers will begin to congratulate each other on the Lord's Easter Day.

Remember that fasting is not only abstaining from food, but also spiritual work.

A sincere desire to fast should not be contrary to common sense. It is not worth adhering to food restrictions for expectant and nursing mothers, children, the elderly, those who travel or are in prison, as well as people with various chronic diseases(for example, gastritis or cholecystitis, anemia, etc.). For these categories, a rigid diet can be dangerous. But even if a person does not belong to such a risk group, he should still undergo a medical examination on the eve of fasting and make sure that such abstinence will not harm his health.

Advice. If you are not feeling well enough to fast, focus on fulfilling God's commandments and cleansing your soul with prayer.

How to eat during Lent

All traditions for a person who has dedicated his life to serving God are described in a special church charter - the typicon. There are also detailed recommendations on nutrition during the days of Great Lent:

Advice. In order not to get confused about what and when you are allowed to eat, use the food calendar for each day of the fast.

What can be prepared from "lean" foods:

• various cereals;
• mashed potatoes, beans and peas;
• fried potatoes, including with mushrooms (on days when it is allowed to cook with butter);
• vegetable salads, soups and stews;
• carrot or cabbage cutlets (steamed or in the oven, and on the days allowed for butter - in a pan);
• fruit salads, juices, etc.

It is allowed to eat various pickles - for example, cucumbers or sauerkraut as well as honey, nuts, dark chocolate and dried fruits. Of the drinks, tea, coffee, jelly, compote is not taboo. You can drink cocoa, but only without milk or with its coconut or soy substitute.

Great post: video

In 2017, Lent lasts 49 days. Its name is also known as "Holy Forty Day". This name emphasizes the special blessing of these days. It also reflects that Great Lent proper lasts exactly 40 days. Of the total number of 49, the holidays of the Annunciation and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Saturday and Sunday) are excluded, on which fasting is relaxed, which means that it can no longer be called fasting in the strict sense. The 6 days of Passion Week are also not counted, since they form a special Liturgical and ascetic cycle - Passion Week Fast.

Great Lent in 2017 day by day

• 1st week - from February 26 (evening) to March 4, 2017
• 2nd week - from March 5 to March 11, 2017
• 3rd week - from March 12 to March 18, 2017
• 4th week - from March 19 to March 25, 2017
• 5th week - from March 26 to April 1, 2017
• 6th week - from April 2 to April 8, 2017
• Holy Week - from April 9 to April 15, 2017

Why is abstinence in food necessary during fasting?

Now every year there are more and more people who want to join the sacrament of fasting. And very often beginners have a question: why are restrictions on food imposed during fasting, how can this affect the state and purification of the soul?

Very often it is Great Lent that is chosen as the first test in the feat of abstinence, probably attracting by its significance. But one should think about church fasting only if one already has some spiritual experience. Today, many people who are striving for faith decide to enter the Christian life by starting to fast, and especially during Great Lent. At the same time, they do not go to church and do not read prayers, and one continuous diet turns out from such a fast. Fasting carries meaning as abstinence both in bodily pleasures and in mental entertainment, and the essence of fasting is not in abstinence itself as a fact, but in demonstrating through this your obedience to the Church and expressing loyalty to Christ, to prepare your soul for a meeting with the living God.

In deciding to fast, every Christian should be clear about his goals and objectives. Fasting serves to focus on serving God, giving up worldly problems and worries, to cleanse your soul from sinful filth. An important, although far from the only component of fasting is dietary restrictions. Why is this needed? What does abstinence in food have to do with the spiritual state of a Christian during the fasting period? The answer is simple enough. During the period of fasting, we must maximally show our love for God, but love, as you know, is learned from deeds, and if we want to love God, then we must limit ourselves in that which removes us from Him. Both in worldly life and in spiritual life, if we set ourselves some goal, then we have to sacrifice something. Those who do not want to sacrifice anything remain with nothing, not only do not gain anything worthwhile, but also lose what they had. Diet restrictions and act as one of these victims, the most simple, understandable and accessible. But you cannot approach the concept of fasting only from a gastronomic point of view. There are people who already have a tendency to the restrictions imposed by fasting, for example, due to the fact that they do not like meat and entertainment. In this case, if fasting is easy for you, without effort, you should turn to your spiritual father to figure out what you should work on during the fasting period.

Each of us has something that can become the subject of special care during the days of fasting - imperfection often lies not outside, but inside us, and the task of fasting is to help us see it. The Church singles out special periods of fasting as the time of knowing one's own weakness and overcoming one's own "I". During this period, we realize something important for the soul, we embark on the path of struggle with certain inclinations and shortcomings, and we bring these achievements, awareness from fasting into everyday life. The next post brings something of its own. Thus, through each fasting we become closer to God, which is why the Holy Fathers say that fasting is a ladder that leads us to Heaven. Therefore, during the period of fasting, one should not only observe dietary restrictions, but also be very attentive to one's inner mood, try to be calm and benevolent with everyone, regularly pray and ask the Lord for forgiveness for all sorts of sins, even minor ones, grant humility, patience, and meekness.

How to properly prepare for Great Lent?

Those who are serious about fasting understand that this is not just a certain diet, but primarily spiritual cleansing and mental work. In this regard, the question arises: how to prepare for fasting, what is required for this?

"Fasting is not in the belly, but in the spirit" - this is how the proverb says. For many years now, most priests have agreed that culinary fasting is by no means an end, it is just a means. And the goal is the post of feelings, emotional experiences of a person. If you limit yourself in food, but allow yourself an empty pastime, watching TV, then your abstinence in food is meaningless. The meaning of fasting is that by limiting and laboring his flesh, a person allows his spirit to work, concentrating on his service to God.

During Lent, as already mentioned, it is imperative to visit the temple, pray, control your behavior, and do good deeds. During fasting, worship brings special inner joy. To understand what it is, you need to start going to the temple. In fasting worship, the closeness of God to man is most clearly manifested, and this feeling is the main content of Lent.

Advice for beginners who find it difficult to fill these days for their own improvement: Before the beginning of Lent, write on a piece of paper what you should get rid of in your life. Lent is the time when you can work on yourself.

With such an appropriate spiritual attitude, abstinence in food will become natural and logical for you.

Preparation for Lent 2017

Very often, when talking about Great Lent, they forget to dwell on those days that are its threshold.

February 18, 2017 - Ecumenical meat-eating parental Saturday

Day of remembrance of the dead. IN parenting days Orthodox Christians commemorate the dead, visit churches where funeral services are performed. On these days, it is customary to make sacrifices at the funeral table (eve) in the form of various products, with the exception of meat.

This is a week of festivities, when everyone bakes pancakes and pies in abundance, goes to visit and treat each other with them. All week, butter, eggs, fish and milk are allowed, but meat is no longer consumed this week

Again, the celebration should be reasonable: one should not spend time in drunkenness, not in gorging, because this is the time of preparation for a gradual entry into the ascetic deeds of Great Lent. As he grows spiritually, every Christian will gradually abandon such purely worldly, secular amusements on Shrovetide and come to understand the spiritual meaning of this preparatory week: Cheese week (Shrovetide) passes between the weeks (Sundays) of the Last Judgment and the remembrance of Adam's exile. That is, the two Sundays framing Shrovetide tell us about rather serious events in the history of mankind, which are not particularly conducive to fun.

February 26, 2017 - Forgiveness Sunday

On this day, a spell for fasting is performed: for the last time, mild foods (except for meat and dairy products) are allowed. Two meals are served. On this day, a ban on dairy products is already imposed. This day is called by the Church Cheeseweed Week.

Meals in Lent 2017

The Orthodox Charter presupposes no more than 2 meals a day. The first of these usually occurs after Divine Liturgy(about noon), and the second after Vespers. If there is only one meal, then it is usually served at 15 o'clock Moscow time.

During fasting, it is forbidden to eat only meatless foods (from the old Russian "fast" - fat) and high-tech products (with a high content food additives, but simply - chemistry). When eating natural, mainly plant-based food during Lent, the body manages not only to cleanse itself of poisons and toxins, but also to rejuvenate. The correct selection of dishes and products will not allow you to gain extra pounds, despite the restriction of protein nutrition. Thanks to active use raw salads, limiting many sweet dishes, drinking herbal teas, various natural kvass and other drinks that have always been used in Russia, your body will receive cleansing at the physical level along with spiritual cleansing. Lean cuisine can and should be healthy and varied.

The first week of Great Lent 2017 from February 26 to March 4

It is called "Fedorov week", or the week of the "Triumph of Orthodoxy". At this time, it is customary to remember all the defenders of the Orthodox faith. The holiday itself falls on the first Sunday (week) of Great Lent - March 5. The first and last weeks of Great Lent, according to the statute, are the strictest in terms of abstaining from food.

• This is a day of complete abstinence. Christians wash, change their clothes, try to spend this day clean. Maslenitsa entertainments remain in the past, concentration and humility come to replace. On this day, the charter prohibits any food, only drinking water.
• On this day, you can drink a lot of cold water, about 2 liters per day. Two days (including Tuesday) of such washing with water against the background of complete starvation perfectly cleanses the body of toxins and toxins, as a result, the consciousness becomes clearer and lightness appears in the body. On an empty stomach, the prayer is better able to focus his thoughts and direct them to God. Worldly concerns recede because you don't have to think about food and cooking. Time is freed up to think about the soul.

• On this day, it is recommended to continue fasting, but if this is not within the power of health, then you should adhere to dry eating. When entering the fasting period, health should be considered with regard to dietary restrictions. And for those who cannot withstand complete abstinence from food and drink during the first two days of Great Lent, as well as for the elderly, “bread and kvass” is allowed on Tuesday after Vespers.

• Xerophagy. According to the Athonite version, on Wednesday and Thursday they eat once a day, possibly with salt, and drink water.
• In the first four days of the week in the evening, during the Divine Service (at Compline), the Great Canon of Penitence of St. Andrew of Crete is read in churches. This liturgical sequence contains 250 troparia; it is permeated with a feeling of repentance before God, a person's awareness of his sinfulness; this main theme is revealed in the canon by referring to images from the Old and New Testaments, to examples of the lives of saints. From Monday to Thursday of the 1st week, the canon is read in parts; its entire reading takes place at Matins on Thursday, the 5th week of Great Lent.

• Dry eating (according to the strength of the fasting person). Foods allowed to eat also remain cold. Blessed in the church and served kutia.
• Kutia is blessed in church and served on the table on Friday of the first week of Great Lent in memory of the miracle of St. Martyr Theodore Tyron, who, appearing on this day in 362 in a dream to Bishop Eudoxius of Antioch, warned of the desecration of food in the markets with blood sacrificed to idols.

• Boiled legumes, olives and olives are recommended for meals.

The second week of Great Lent from 5 to 11 March 2017

March 5, 2017 - Triumph of Orthodoxy, first week of Great Lent

• This is the first week (Sunday) of Great Lent. On this day, the holiday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy falls. On the week (Sunday) of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the victory over the iconoclastic heresy is celebrated. For almost 100 years, iconoclasts opposed icons, considering their veneration as idolatry. The veneration of icons was finally restored in the 9th century by Empress Theodora on the first Sunday of Great Lent, on which the Triumph of Orthodoxy has been celebrated ever since.
• Hot food with vegetable oil is allowed.

• Meal once a day.

• Hot food without oil, seafood is allowed.
• Meal once a day.

• Xerophagy. Cold meals without vegetable oil and cold drinks are allowed. But in our climatic conditions for laymen, hot tea is quite acceptable.
• Meal once a day.

• The discovery of the head of John the Baptist (first and second acquisition) is an Orthodox holiday in honor of the most revered part of the relics of John the Baptist - his head. The Prophet John the Baptist had the great honor to baptize Jesus Christ himself. He is also called the Forerunner, because he became the forerunner of both the Lord's birth, and His preaching, and His death. John the Baptist is remembered in every divine service. In terms of his holiness, he is considered superior to all people, except for the Most Holy Theotokos.
• Hot food with vegetable oil is allowed on this day. Taste once a day.

• Xerophagy. Cold meals without vegetable oil and cold drinks are allowed. But in our climatic conditions, hot tea is quite acceptable for laymen.
• Meal once a day.

March 11, 2017 - Parental Universal Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent. Day of remembrance of the departed.

• Hot food with vegetable oil, seafood, wine, meals twice a day.
• Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, diluted hot water... It is, however, highly commendable to abstain from wine.

The third week of Great Lent - from 12 to 18 March 2017

March 12, 2017 - Gregory Palamas Week, the second week of Lent.

• This is the second week (Sunday) of Great Lent. On this day, the Church prayerfully remembers Saint Gregory Palamas, who lived in the XIV century, - a zealous champion of monastic life and spiritual work, an exponent of a special church teaching about the Light of Tabor - the immaterial grace-filled Heavenly light, which the Lord shone with during the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor; this is a teaching about the possibility for a person to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit, about the ways to this - prayer and good deeds, to which believers are especially called by the Church in the days of fasting.
• Allowed hot food with vegetable oil, seafood, wine, meals twice a day.
• Allowed pure grape wine diluted with hot water. It is, however, highly commendable to abstain from wine.

• Dry eating: eating once a day.

• Dry eating: meals once a day.

• Dry eating: a meal once a day.

March 18, 2017 - Parental Ecumenical Saturday 3 weeks of Lent

• On Saturday of the third week, during Matins, the Life-giving Cross of the Lord is brought up in the middle of the church to worship the believers, therefore the third week and the next, fourth, week is called the Cross of the Cross.
• Hot food with vegetable oil and wine, a meal twice a day.
• Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.

The fourth week of Great Lent, the Cross of the Cross, from 19 to 25 March 2017

The fourth week of Great Lent is called the Cross, or Middle Cross. Life-giving Cross from Sunday - the week of the Cross - until Friday of this week is located in the center of the church, in the place of the holiday icon. The Church glorifies the Holy Cross of Christ as a sign of the most powerful power that protects us and opens the way to salvation. All week, believers worship this shrine with special reverence. On Friday of the week, at the end of the service, the Cross is solemnly taken to the altar.

March 19, 2017, Sunday. The third week of Great Lent - Christ on the Cross

• On this day, they read spiritual literature, help others, reflect on death and the Last Judgment, work is considered a sin. All believers visit churches to worship the cross, reflect on the concept of "bearing their cross."
• Hot food with vegetable oil and wine is allowed (pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, mainly diluted with hot water). It is, however, highly commendable to abstain from wine.
• The use of seafood is allowed.

• Dry eating, eating once a day.

• ... On the day of commemoration of 40 martyrs, the Holy Church established to celebrate the Liturgy, to facilitate fasting and thus make this day more solemn.
• On Wednesday of the Cross (at the time of fasting), the Charter of Mount Athos permits two dishes with butter. But food that is allowed to eat also remains cold. These are salads from raw and fresh vegetables, stews, cold infusions and herbal teas and other drinks. Cold snacks.
• Traditionally in Russia, this day was baked products from lean dough in the form of birds - "larks".

• Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. No oil. Once a day.

• Xerophagy. Meals are allowed once a day.

March 25, 2017, Parental ecumenical Saturday 4 weeks of Great Lent

• Hot food with vegetable oil, eating fish and seafood is prohibited.

Fifth week of Great Lent 2017 from March 26 to April 1

• Memorial Day theologian John Climacus. Rev. John of the Ladder was hegumen of the Sinai Monastery, wrote the famous "Ladder of Virtues." "Ladder" in Old Church Slavonic means "Ladder". This is a scripture about the steps of ascent to spiritual perfection. The image of the Ladder is borrowed from the Bible, which describes Jacob's vision of the Ladder, along which the angels ascend. According to the calendar, the day of remembrance of John Climacus falls on the time of Great Lent, it was postponed to Sunday, and it was fixed on the 4th Sunday of Great Lent.
• Allowed hot food with vegetable oil, seafood and wine (one bowl 200 ml), meals twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.

• Xerophagy. Meals once a day.

• Hot food without oil. Taste once a day.

• Xerophagy. Eating once a day.
• Wednesday night at Orthodox churches a special service is performed - "Mary's Standing". At this service, only once a year is read in its entirety the Great Canon of Andrew of Crete (before that it was sung in parts from Monday to Thursday of the first week of Great Lent) and the life of the Monk Mary of Egypt.

• On this day, according to an ancient custom, the following of the Great Canon is sung. The Monk Andrew composed it at the same time as Saint Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, wrote down the life of Mary of Egypt. Father Andrew first brought the Great Canon and the word about the Monk Mary to Constantinople, when he was sent by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theodore to help at the Sixth Council.
• Hot food with vegetable oil is allowed. Taste once a day.

• Xerophagy. Once a day.

• Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos
• There have been several cases in history of the miraculous deliverance of Constantinople from enemies by prayers to the Mother of God. In their memory, the Holy Church established the feast of the Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos on Saturday of the 5th week of Great Lent. On this day, everyone turns to the Mother of God not with requests and not even with gratitude, but with praise. The Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos is read with special solemnity in churches. This is the first akathist written for church use and became a model for all subsequent akathists in honor of various church holidays.
• Allowed hot food with vegetable oil, seafood, wine (one bowl 200 ml). Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, diluted with hot water. It is, however, highly commendable to abstain from wine.

Sixth week of Great Lent 2017 from 2 to 8 April

April 2, 2017, Sunday. Fifth Week of Lent (Fifth Sunday of Lent)

• Memorial Day Saint Mary of Egypt. The Monk Mary was born in Egypt in the middle of the 5th century. At the age of 12, she left her parents and went to Alexandria, where she spent 17 years living in sin. Once Mary arrived in Jerusalem for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and tried to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, but some force prevented her from doing it. She realized her fall and began to pray in front of the icon of the Mother of God, which was in the narthex of the temple. After that, she was able to enter the temple. Then Mary went into the desert, where she spent the rest of her life, 47 years, in fasting, asceticism and repentance. The Church gives in the person of the Monk Mary of Egypt a model of true repentance and shows the mercy of the Lord towards repentant sinners. The calendar memory of Mary of Egypt falls on the time of Great Lent, it was transferred to Sunday, and it was fixed for the 5th Sunday of Great Lent.
• On this day, hot food with vegetable oil, seafood, wine, and a meal twice a day are allowed. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, diluted with hot water. It is, however, highly commendable to abstain from wine.

• Xerophagy. Once a day.

• Hot food without oil. Once a day.

• Xerophagy. Once a day.

• Hot food without oil. Once a day.

• Feast of the Annunciation.
• On this day, a world-class spiritual event is celebrated. Proclamation of the good news to the Virgin Mary about the conception and forthcoming birth of her God-child Jesus Christ. Archangel Gabriel brought the Virgin Mary the greatest and most important message - the Son of God becomes the Son of man. Isaiah's prophecy is being fulfilled. The Mother of God answers with consent to the angel's message: "Let it be done to me according to your word." Without this voluntary consent, God could not incarnate and become the God-man. He could not have incarnated, since God does not act by force, does not force us to anything.
• Hot food with vegetable oil, seafood, wine. Fish allowed. Meal once a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, mainly diluted with hot water.
• Fish dishes during Great Lent are allowed only on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos and on Palm Sunday.

• Lazarev Saturday
• On this day, Christians remember the miracle of the resurrection of the righteous Lazarus by Christ, which was performed to certify the coming resurrection of all the dead. The celebration of the Lazarus Sabbath has been established since ancient times, it precedes the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem.
• Allowed hot food with vegetable oil, seafood, fish caviar, wine, meals twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, diluted with hot water. It is, however, highly commendable to abstain from wine.

Holy Week of Great Lent 2017 from 9 to 15 April

Food restrictions during Holy Week are as strict as during the first week of fasting. It is supposed to observe dry eating once a day.

• The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem - the great twelveth feast is celebrated a week before the celebration of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, in memory of the solemn Entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem on the eve of His Passion on the Cross. Christ rode into Jerusalem on a young colt, greeted by many people who learned about the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus. The people greeted Him as they meet kings and conquerors, but in a few days these same people will shout to the Roman governor Pilate: "Take, take, crucify Him!" and they will utter a terrible curse on their people: "His blood be on us and on our children." Therefore, this celebration is in fact a harbinger of the Savior's suffering.
• According to church tradition, on this day in churches, believers, as if meeting the invisibly coming Lord, stand at the service with willow branches in their hands (hence the other name of the holiday - Palm Sunday). The willows replace the fronds - palm branches that were held in the hands of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who met Christ.
• On the eve of the holiday, at an all-night vigil on Saturday, willows are consecrated by sprinkling with holy water after reading a special prayer.
• Fish allowed. Hot food with vegetable oil, seafood, wine.

• On Great Monday, the Old Testament patriarch Joseph, sold by the brothers to Egypt, is remembered as a prototype of the suffering Jesus Christ, as well as the Gospel story of Jesus cursing the barren fig tree, symbolizing a soul that does not bear spiritual fruit - true repentance, faith, prayer and good deeds.

• On Great Tuesday, the Lord's reproof of the scribes and Pharisees, His conversations and parables, spoken by Him on this day in the temple of Jerusalem: about tribute to Caesar, about the resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, about ten virgins and about talents.

• On Great Wednesday, the anointing of the feet of Jesus Christ with peace and the betrayal of Judas are recalled.

• On Maundy Thursday, 4 most important evangelical events that took place on this day are recalled in the service: the Last Supper, at which the Lord established the New Testament sacrament of Holy Communion (Eucharist), the Lord washing the feet of His disciples as a sign of deepest humility and love for them, the Savior's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal of Judas.

• Great Heel Day (Friday) is dedicated to the remembrance of the condemnation to death, the sufferings of the Cross and the death of the Savior. In the divine service on this day, the Church, as it were, puts us at the foot of the Cross of Christ and, before our reverent and quivering gaze, depicts the saving sufferings of the Lord. At Matins of the Great Heel (usually it is served on Thursday evening), "The Passion of the Lord" is performed, followed by 12 corresponding passages from the Gospels. At the end of Vespers on Good Friday, the rite of carrying out the Shroud of Christ is performed, depicting His position in the grave, after which the canon is read about the crucifixion of the Lord and the lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos.
• Abstaining from food before taking out the shroud.

• On Great Saturday, the Church recalls the burial of Jesus Christ, the stay of His body in the tomb, the descent of the soul into hell to proclaim there the victory over death and the deliverance of souls who had faithfully awaited His coming, and the introduction of the prudent robber into paradise.
• On Great Saturday, many believers also refuse food until Easter, but for monastics, 200-250 g of bread, 6 pieces of figs or dates, a cup of kvass or a honey drink are allowed. Or bread with vegetables. For laymen, hot food with vegetable oil is allowed.

• Easter means "transition", "deliverance". With the Resurrection of Christ, we celebrate the deliverance of the human race from the power of sin and death.

Published on 2/26/17 12:47 PM

What date does Lent begin in 2017, a daily food calendar, what you can and cannot eat - read about all this in the Topnews article.

Great Lent in 2017: what date begins and ends

On February 27, 2017, Orthodox Christians begin the most "important" and strict fast. Lent will last until Easter, which falls on April 16 this year. And this weekend Maslenitsa ends - the preparatory period for fasting.

It is not named preparatory by chance. To smoothly enter the fast, you need to properly prepare - for which it is not recommended to lean on the days before the beginning of Lent intcbatch for heavy and fatty foods... Otherwise, it will be difficult for the body to quickly rebuild, and this threatens big problems with the stomach and intestines.

The services of the first week of Lent will also be special and different from the rest of the days. For example, from Monday to Thursday, Great Compline is performed every evening with the reading of the Great Canon of Penitence of St. Andrew of Crete.

By itself, the upcoming fast is considered the most stringent, believers must give up many products.

Great post 2017: what you can and cannot eat

The first and main rule of the Great Lent states that during this period Orthodox Christians should not consume meat products of animal origin. The ban also remains not only meat, but also any milk and dairy products, eggs and other products of animal origin.

The first and last week of abstinence from modest food are especially strict, Friday, Monday and Wednesday are also very strictly observed, since during this period you can eat only raw dishes that have not been cooked.

In addition, three days a week, food intake is necessarily postponed to the evening after sunset.

On Tuesday and Thursday, food is also consumed only once a day, while meals are taken after sunset, although it is quite allowed to eat hot dishes here, but on this day you will have to refrain from adding oil to dishes.

On weekends, fasting becomes a little easier, since there are some indulgences, if desired, a little vegetable oil is added to the dishes, products are allowed to be cooked in the oven or on the stove, in addition, Orthodox Christians can afford a couple of glasses of wine per day.

There is also Holy Week, it is considered the strictest, since after it there is a celebration great Easter, Orthodox Christians should be especially strict about Friday this week, since Good Friday implies a complete refusal of food, you can only drink clean water.

If it is not possible to completely refuse food, it is worth applying a raw food diet.

Well, the simplest days during Lent are Palm Sunday and Annunciation, since these days are holidays when housewives can serve fish dishes.

There are other days when there is a slight relaxation of the diet, for example, if Great Lent falls on one of the days of the great holy martyr, then the Orthodox can afford hot dishes seasoned with a small amount of vegetable oil.

So, during Great Lent, the following are completely prohibited: meat, milk, eggs, cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, baked bread and pastries. It is not necessary to completely abandon flour products, the main thing is that they do not contain milk and eggs, but only water, flour and salt.

You can eat: vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes, mushrooms, on some days - fish and caviar.

Sweets are also allowed, but only if they are made without the addition of milk, for example, dark chocolate, honey and sugar.

Lent 2017: food calendar by day (table)

According to church canons, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, food is eaten only cold, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, hot food is allowed without oil.

On Saturdays and Sundays, in addition to vegetable oil, you can sip a little wine. Not only on the Saturday of Holy Week.