What can you eat during the Nativity Fast, nutrition calendar by day. What not to eat during the Nativity Fast

The 40-day Christmas fast begins on November 28 and ends on January 6, the night before Christmas. Fasting involves abstaining from certain foods and prayer with the goal of facing Christmas purified and ready to follow the teachings of the Son of God.

The main goal and meaning of the Nativity Fast according to St. John Chrysostom: “True fasting is removal from evil, curbing the tongue, putting aside anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies and perjury.”

The Nativity Fast is also called Filippov, since the day of the Order (the last day before Lent) falls on the day of remembrance of St. Apostle Philip.

Sporsky Vaclav. Prayer

History of the Nativity Fast. Meaning. Prayer

The history of the Nativity Fast begins in the era of the birth of Christianity. At first, the fast lasted 7 days, but later increased to forty days. The exception was armenian church, who refused to accept the new rules, and is still fasting for seven days (from December 30 to January 5).

Ilya Repin. Christ

IN Orthodox churches Byzantine heritage (these are the majority) days of abstinence take place from November 28 to January 6.

It is important that fast days, although they are closer to holidays, are still different from them. On holidays, clergy invite people to thank God and the saints for their blessings, and on days of restrictions it is necessary to reconcile with God, our Savior, and all the saints.

Ilya Repin. Judas

Fasting as a chance to change. The meaning of fasting is not so much in giving up fast food, but in changing and cleansing yourself of passions not some time ago, but today.

For example, if you are overcome by envy, you need to visit a hospital or shelter - see with your own eyes how many unfortunate and disadvantaged people there are in the world, help them and sympathize with them. This will help you cope with envy and will be the beginning spiritual growth. In the same way, we must fight other passions - the passion of condemnation, anger, pride.

Ilya Repin. Get away from me, Satan, 1860s

Prayer in church and at home. Prayer in church on Sundays and at home before the face of the Savior is especially important. During your communication with God, you should let go of all grievances, contact sincerely, ask for forgiveness for your misdeeds and help for yourself and your loved ones. The rest of the time you should reject everything bad and abstain from marital duties.

Menu for the Nativity Fast. What you can and cannot eat

Fasting is a period when you should avoid certain foods. What should you not eat during fasting and what foods are allowed?

Products for the Nativity Fast

Fast foods. On all fasting days, one is not allowed to consume lean food (animal products) - meat, dairy products, butter, eggs. Other restrictions depend on the day of the week.

Lenten products. Basically, the diet should be dominated by lean foods - vegetables and fruits, compotes, mushrooms, nuts, honey, jam.

Fish. During the Nativity Fast, fish dishes are consumed only on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on Great Holidays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays - on the days of the glorified saint. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday, fish is undesirable, just like wine. You can feast on fish and eat caviar on major divine festivals.

Oil. It is necessary to cook food without oil on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays - porridge, boiled vegetables. Add to food on other days of the week vegetable oil.

During the Nativity Fast, the New Year is celebrated. Efforts should be made not to succumb to temptations and not to break prohibitions. And this is a great test for a believer.

Otherwise, the Church Charter prescribes the following rules regarding Christmas meals.

✔ On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - dry eating without vegetable oil (foods without heat treatment - bread and plant foods).

✔ On Tuesdays and Thursdays - hot food with vegetable oil.

✔ On Saturdays and Sundays - hot vegetable food with vegetable oil, fish, wine.

✔ Hot vegetable food with vegetable oil, fish, wine.

The strictest fast is from January 2 to January 5 inclusive (the period of the pre-celebration of the Nativity of Christ)

✔ On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - dry eating.

✔ On Tuesdays and Thursdays, on Saturdays and Sundays - hot food with vegetable oil.

✔ On Christmas Eve, on Christmas Eve, until the first star, it is customary to completely give up food, and in the evening you can enjoy (sochivom) - porridge from boiled cereals (traditionally - wheat) with various additives - nuts, raisins, honey, etc. includes 12 Lenten dishes.

Nadezhda Poluyan-Vnukova (Ukraine). At grandma's before Christmas

Warning. You should not resort to a lean diet without consulting a doctor, especially people with health problems, since not every body can adapt to the conditions of dietary restrictions. During fast days– don’t overdo it. If something goes wrong, a relaxation in food is permissible.

It is generally not recommended to fast for persons who have suffered serious illnesses (for example, cancer), women whose pregnancy is difficult, weakened persons, and small children. In such cases, one should adhere only to spiritual restrictions and observance certain rules communication with God.

Only Old Believers and monks strictly observe fasting. Of course, the decision to resort to fasting should be made only by you and consciously. Otherwise, the purpose of the Nativity Fast loses its main meaning.

Variants of the Nativity Fast. There are also possible variations in the strictness of observance of fasting days, which a person can choose for himself and adhere to.

✔ Completely abstain from food strictly on certain days (for people in good health).

✔ Dry eating.

✔ It is allowed to eat fish.

✔ Hot food with oil is allowed (exclusively with vegetable oil).

✔ Hot food without oil.

✔ Observance of fasting days with food allowances - for children under 7 years of age, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, weakened after long-term illnesses, and the elderly. Such persons are always allowed hot food; You can eat fish, sometimes eat eggs and milk.

How to prepare for the Nativity fast

It should be remembered that fasting is a truly responsible step that requires gradualness. The main mistake All beginners want to quickly switch to a lean diet and reduce portions to a minimum. Because of this, health problems most often develop and become aggravated. chronic diseases, irritability appears.

We need to prepare for the Nativity Fast. You can try your hand before fasting - many believers observe restrictions every Wednesday, Friday, as well as on major religious holidays.

You need to eat as much food as you need - do not starve. Don't forget about water balance during this period. Water will be your indispensable assistant (at least 1.5 - 2 liters per day).

Entertainment during the Nativity Fast. Is it possible to get married?

During the Nativity Fast, entertainment and carnal pleasures are not allowed. Even according to Slavic beliefs, wedding ceremonies were prohibited on the eve of Christmas and on the holiday itself. It was believed that all witches acquire double strength and they can come to the celebration and bring misfortune to the young.

It is possible that the lovers want to get married during the Nativity Fast. Perhaps because of the beautiful and romantic time of year, or maybe the couple feels that this is their date. But the clergy believe that this is not the best idea.

Young people should devote these days to thoughts of strengthening their spiritual origin, prayers and communication with God, because the essence of fasting is cleansing, getting rid of bad things, pacifying food and bodily lusts.

And most importantly, this is the time when a person gets rid of his sins and learns to cope with desires. Therefore, holding such a solemn event as a wedding during this period is nothing more than proof that you are following your desires, which means you cannot cope with them, that is, you are committing a sin.

However final decision everyone accepts for themselves. After all, there is another opinion (some clergy also adhere to it) - there is nothing purer and more pleasing to God than true love.

Regardless of the purpose for which the Nativity fast is observed, the fasting person performs a good deed on the path to purification of consciousness and soul. If a person voluntarily renounces pleasures and benefits, he has won victory over himself.

Yulia KALININA

In the top photo: Sergey Andriyaka. "Still life with a candle and an old book"

According to the generally accepted Orthodox Christian calendar, equal in importance, the Nativity Fast will last according to the new style from November 28, 2016 to January 6, 2017.

A little history

Multi-day fasts begin in ancient history the birth of Christianity. In written sources, the Philippine fast (the second name for the Nativity Fast) was mentioned back in the third and fourth centuries by Blessed Augustine and St. Ambrose of Mediodala.

Clear canons for fasting christian church in those days it had not yet been proposed, so believers posted different quantities days - some ten days, some a little longer.

And about a hundred years after the baptism of Rus', at the council of 1166 AD, the Emperor of Byzantium Manuel and his colleague Patriarch Luke of Constantinople, all believers were ordered to adhere to a forty-day fast. This period is considered the last such important multi-day period in the outgoing year.

What is the Nativity Fast?

It is sometimes during this great significant multi-day winter fast, during this period, that Christians cleanse themselves with prayer, refusal of modest food and repentance. It is also believed - in ancient times - that it is in this way, through humility and peace of soul and body, that a person can thank the Lord for all the bounties of nature presented in the fall.

Only believers with a heart filled with love, in forgiveness and strict refusal of food during the last week of Lent can talk about the birth of the son of God. The second name for the Nativity Pentecost is the Philippian Fast, since the day of the Fast falls on the feast of the famous holy Apostle Phillip.

In church charters and according to Christian canons, it is also called Pentecost - based on the number of days.

It is believed that the first part of Lent is not very strict, but until Christmas Eve, January 6, the canonical rules should be strictly adhered to. According to Leo the Great, the Nativity Fast is a person’s gratitude To higher powers for all the good things received throughout the year, and our repentance, mercy and sacrifice during this period is the sacrament of renewal of the spirit, unity with God.

Therefore, at this time we must be generous with the poor, and try through all sorts of restrictions, alms and prayer to destroy the sin that has multiplied over the previous year by unclean desires and the frailty of the flesh.

According to the postulates of Simeon of Thessaloniki, the allegory of the Nativity Fast is the forty-day fast of the prophet Moses, at the end of which humanity received God’s commandments.

And now every person, fasting for Christmas, gets the opportunity to comprehend God’s wisdom through faith in the child incarnate and born of God. Our main sacrifice in this Great Lent is an open heart and clear conscience, which is achieved through sincere prayers and humility.

This is what the church and philosophers-theologians say. What about scientists? After all, science in our time can prove or disprove any theosophical postulate. Yes, scientists have something to say here too. It has been proven that the Great Fast - Christmas - is completely justified from a medical point of view. For example, the forty days of Phillip's fast are exactly the time when the body is preparing for winter, human biorhythms change due to the shortening of daylight hours.

That is why you should not overload the body with unnecessary activity or heavy food - changing light belts is already stressful. And vice versa, the forty-day spring fast is the time when the body comes out of sleep, daylight hours increase, but the immune system is still weak, so restriction in heavy food is not only indicated, but also completely justified.

Of course, fasting is a deeply individual matter. If there are any health problems, serious disorders in the body, then the church does not consider canonical fasting to be of fundamental importance to the detriment of health.

However, if you wish, you can always find a suitable and acceptable nutrition option for yourself, so to speak, compromise with your own body. Now there is a lot of information in the public domain so that you can prepare tasty, nutritious and, most importantly, lean food without compromising your health.

Detailed daily nutrition calendar

From November 28 to December 19 inclusive:

Monday.

Tuesday.

Wednesday.

Thursday. It is allowed to eat fish (fish soup, marinated fish, pollock, etc.), wine (apple, rowan, grape), boiled food plant origin with added oil.

Friday. Dry eating (bread, dried fruits, fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, honey).

Saturday. It is allowed to eat fish (fish soup, marinated fish, pollock, etc.), wine (apple, rowan, grape), boiled food of plant origin with the addition of oil.

Sunday. It is allowed to eat fish (fish soup, marinated fish, pollock, etc.), wine (apple, rowan, grape), boiled food of plant origin with the addition of oil.

From December 20 to January 1 inclusive:

Monday. It is allowed to eat boiled vegetable foods prepared in water without adding oil. These can be candied fruits, dumplings, jelly, rice, etc.

Tuesday.

Wednesday. Dry eating (bread, dried fruits, fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, honey).

Thursday. It is allowed to introduce boiled food of plant origin, seasoned with vegetable oil, into the diet. For example, eggplant caviar, tomato soup, apple pie, potatoes with mushrooms, falafel, etc.

Friday. Dry eating (bread, dried fruits, fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, honey).

Saturday. It is allowed to eat fish (fish soup, marinated fish, pollock, etc.), wine (apple, rowan, grape), boiled food of plant origin with the addition of oil.

Sunday. It is allowed to eat fish (fish soup, marinated fish, pollock, etc.), wine (apple, rowan, grape), boiled food of plant origin with the addition of oil.

From January 2 to January 6 inclusive:

Monday. Dry eating (bread, dried fruits, fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, honey).

Tuesday. It is allowed to eat boiled vegetable foods prepared in water without adding oil. These can be candied fruits, dumplings, jelly, rice, etc.

Wednesday. Dry eating (bread, dried fruits, fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, honey).

Thursday. It is allowed to eat boiled vegetable foods prepared in water without adding oil. These can be candied fruits, dumplings, jelly, rice, etc.

Friday. Dry eating (bread, dried fruits, fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, honey).

Saturday. It is allowed to introduce boiled food of plant origin, seasoned with vegetable oil, into the diet. For example, eggplant caviar, tomato soup, apple pie, potatoes with mushrooms, falafel, etc.

Sunday. It is allowed to introduce boiled food of plant origin, seasoned with vegetable oil, into the diet. For example, eggplant caviar, tomato soup, apple pie, potatoes with mushrooms, falafel, etc.

January 6 is the strictest day of the Nativity Fast, so on this day you should abstain from food until the first star.

As already mentioned, The last part of the post is very strict- from the beginning of January until the birth of Christ. The rest of the time, the rules of this multi-day fast are ordinary.

Fish it is possible on weekends - Sunday, when churches celebrate for health, and Saturday, when services for the repose are held, as well as on major holidays (for example, the Introduction, or on the days of remembrance of the great saints - Catherine (7.12), Matthew (29.11), Andrey (13.12), Varvara (17.12), Nikolai (19.12)).

Oil like holy oil, red wine- symbol of the blood of Christ, and fish(since ancient times a symbol of Christianity) are not allowed on three days of the week - Monday, Friday and Wednesday, and you can eat on these days (exclusively dry food) after and only after Vespers.

And on weekends, Tuesday and Thursday you can add oil.

And very interesting point: the church does not reject fast food as such, but condemns the desire for gluttony itself. That is, meat, butter, cheese, and so on are not considered bad (it’s food, a gift God's people), but the very desire to be satisfied with the forbidden is already a sin.

Moreover, fasting should be not only physical, but also moral - avoid quarrels, gossip, and ungodly thoughts. After all, limiting yourself only to food is no longer fasting, but just a diet. And there are just a lot of temptations - after all, it is during this period that the New Year is celebrated, which, naturally, entails feasting and fun.

In addition, very often you can encounter the fact that those who, abstaining from food, feel superior to those who do not adhere to such strict restrictions. This is also wrong. After all, fasting is not a goal, but a way to express one’s repentance, humility and submission before the Creator.

Of course, if there is no desire to fast, and there is no sincere understanding of why it is necessary, then there are many reasons and explanations. For example, the salary (pension, scholarship) does not allow it, the food is expensive, the church is in a neighboring town, etc. And here it is appropriate to recall the wisdom of the Optina elders: “There is no desire to fast out of good will - the time will come to fast out of bad will.”

About food restrictions and permissible indulgences

Question: Please tell us what dry eating is? And which fasts are strict and which are not.

Answer: Dry eating is eating food without oil, i.e. oils Strict fasts - the Great and the Assumption. But you should think about fasting only if you already have some spiritual experience. Today, many people who are drawn to faith decide to enter the Christian life by beginning to fast, and especially during Great Lent. At the same time, they don’t go to church and don’t read prayers, and the result of such fasting is one continuous diet. Fasting has meaning as abstinence for the sake of Christ both in bodily pleasures and in mental entertainment. And the essence of fasting is not abstinence as such, but that we do it for the sake of obedience to the Church and fidelity to Christ. We not only do not eat meat and dairy products fish products in fasting, but by cultivating our will in small things, we show loyalty to God and readiness for trials that can befall us in big things. At the same time, of course, if a person fasts, he must remember that the energy released from him (since less time is spent at the dinner table and watching TV) is very important to use for spiritual life and for the benefit of other people. After all, if he doesn’t watch TV, but just idly lounges on the couch, then there will be no benefit from such abstinence.

Question: Is it true that everyone chooses a post according to their strength? I know a man who, through strict fasting, brought himself to the hospital and ruined his health. Is this already somehow wrong?

Answer: The Church Charter clearly depicts both the time of consumption and the quality of Lenten food. Fasting is softened in relation to the sick, pregnant, nursing, and traveling. In any case, if you want to observe fasting and know its extent for yourself, consult with your confessor, tell him about your spiritual and physical condition and ask for blessings to fast.

Question: I am 12 years old, I heard that until the age of 14 on Wednesday and Friday (and during any other fast, except Wednesday and Friday Lent) You can eat dairy foods. Is this true?

Answer: The question of the extent of the discipline of fasting is determined by each believer together with his confessor. This discipline depends on many circumstances: age, state of health, the extent of our dependence on others, and much more. Indeed, in many cases, middle and high school students educational institutions confessors give relief for dairy foods on Wednesday and Friday or in other cases during multi-day fasts. But this relief cannot be given by me via the Internet, but must be decided by you specifically with your confessor.

Question: I need to undergo an ultrasound examination of the stomach after eating a so-called “test breakfast” of two eggs - is this acceptable during Lent?

Answer: Medicines are not food in the proper sense. And if for a medical examination it is necessary to fill the stomach with egg protein, then it is worth filling the stomach with this protein, perceiving this in this case not as food, but as a necessary medicine.

Question: I do bodybuilding. I use sports nutrition: protein, amino acids. Let me tell you right away - these are not steroids. Is it permissible to consume sports nutrition during Lent?

Answer: If we're talking about about lean nutrition is acceptable. And if we talk about steaks with blood, then, of course, it would be quite strange to eat them in Great Heel.

Question: Is it possible to fast only the first and last week? And is it possible to eat bread during fasting?

Answer: Regarding the second part of your question, the answer is simple: you can eat regular bread, not sieve rolls or cooked in butter, not butter pies, but regular, simple bread.

As for observing fasting only in the first and last week - if we are talking about a person who is seriously ill or suffering diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis in the third degree, dystonia, anemia, then, of course, for such the Church knows a softening of the discipline of fasting. But from others who recognize themselves as Orthodox Christians, they expect fasting not selectively, but whenever it is prescribed by the Church Charter.

Question: I have a friend who is a deeply religious person and strictly observes all fasts. However, she is seriously ill, she has a severe degree of physical exhaustion, and doctors strongly recommend that she eat well. All her family and friends are trying to convince her that by refusing meat and dairy foods, she is actually committing suicide, and this is a terrible sin. Please advise what can be done in such a situation.

Answer: The Church, of course, establishes physical fasting as a measure of abstinence for people who are healthy or at least relatively healthy, meaning that it is a means, first of all, of educating us spiritually, and, secondly, of somehow pacifying our bodily passions. A person who is seriously ill is, to a large extent, already humbled by the infirmities of his nature, therefore, of course, in the case of a serious or chronic or sudden illness, the measure of bodily fasting by the Church and the church canons has always been softened and softened. Therefore, you can recommend that your friend not give up at least certain types of food that doctors recommend to her, but instead, deepen her spiritual fast. Or, suppose, to refuse those types of food that are not medically necessary for her, but to which she has an addiction.

About other restrictions

Question: Please tell me, is it possible to cut hair during fasting?

Answer: Everything is good in moderation, so if your hair is splitting or you don’t have time long hair If you wash it for a long time and comb it thoroughly, then of course it is better to cut it. But to induce some special beauty for the sake of attracting people of the opposite sex to fast, perhaps it should not have been.

Question: The fact that you can’t watch TV or listen to the radio doesn’t raise any questions, but is it possible to watch only one short newscast on TV a day?

Answer: Dear Andrey, there was such a case in the life of the Venerable Elder Silouan of Athos: one monk told something he had read in the newspaper and, turning to Elder Silouan, asked: “And you, Father Silouan, what do you say about this?” “Father, I don’t like newspapers and newspaper news,” he replied. - “Why is that?” - “Because reading newspapers darkens the mind and interferes with pure prayer.” “It’s strange,” says the monk. - In my opinion, on the contrary, newspapers help to pray. We live here in the desert, we see nothing, and so the soul gradually forgets about the world, withdraws into itself, and prayer weakens because of this... When I read newspapers, I see how the world lives and how people suffer, and this makes me feel there is a desire to pray. Then whether I serve the liturgy or pray in my cell, I ask God from the bottom of my heart for people and for the world.” “The soul, when it prays for peace, knows better without newspapers how the whole earth mourns, it knows what needs people have and pities them.” - “How can the soul know from itself what is happening in the world?” - asked the monk. — “Newspapers write not about people, but about events, and that is incorrect; they confuse the mind, and you still won’t learn the truth from them, but prayer clears the mind, and it sees everything better.” These words of St. Silouan can be safely cited as an answer to your question.

About reading during fasting days

Question: This year I decided to start fasting. Could you tell me what prayers and texts from the Bible should be read daily during Lent?

Answer: Regarding the daily readings during Lent, I would refer you to the site where such readings appear regularly, arranged according to the days of Lent; in the same place, or on the site zavet.ru, or days.ru, find those passages from the Holy Scriptures that are offered to us Church to read during Lent.

There is also such a good pious custom - for those who do not have the skill to read regularly New Testament, do this by fasting - one chapter of the Gospel and two chapters of the Apostle. If you start doing this during Lent or Nativity, you will read almost the entire Gospel during Lent.

"Food" controversy

Question: I live in a student dormitory. With my roommate, we always cook food for two. Previously, she also observed fasting, but this year she decided that she would not. I feel that tension has begun to appear in our relationship due to “menu” issues. How to avoid losing tolerance for each other in food disagreements?

Answer: Still, fasting must be observed. However, you should in no way impose your fasting on your neighbor living next to you. Show utmost tolerance towards her reproaches and comments, because the point of fasting is to strive to develop in yourself the virtue of patience and non-judgment of your neighbors. Let us thank God that through food restrictions He gives us a reason for more serious exercise of the soul. Therefore, if your neighbor asks you to go to the store on the way and buy her sausages, then go in and buy them, nothing bad will happen. But keep the fast yourself - this demonstrates our fidelity to Christ.

Question: What should I do if my mother’s anniversary falls during Lent, and I am the only one observing it in our family? The holiday will be noisy, I have a lot of relatives. You can’t leave either, the offense will be serious. I definitely don’t want to have fun during Lent, but I don’t know what to do.

Answer: Anniversaries are different, and days of fasting are also different. One cannot celebrate even a centenary anniversary on Good Friday. But on one of the ordinary Saturday or Sunday days of Great Lent, it is quite possible to meet your mother on her anniversary, rejoice (but not have fun), be with loved ones without being arrogant at them, but at the same time observe the fast. Therefore, there is still a lot of time, try to prepare wisely, and, thinking about the benefit of your mother’s soul, take part in her celebration.

What if it’s difficult?

Question: For the first time I took the post seriously. I feel very weak, completely empty and unable to lead my usual active lifestyle. I try to pray, but prayer doesn’t really work. I began to read the Rule with difficulty. It feels like someone has sucked out all the strength. Please advise what to do?

Answer: There is only one piece of advice I can give – don’t give up. Did you think that you would start fasting for the first time, and immediately your Lenten path would be strewn with roses? Will potatoes and rice seem like ambrosia and nectar? Won't your bones hurt from bowing to the ground and standing through Lenten services? A sinful skill requires overcoming: for example, if a person quits smoking, do you think it’s just something that comes to him? Others almost bang their heads against the wall. A person knows that this is an unkind, sinful habit that must be gotten rid of for Christ’s sake, and he persists. What the Gospel says is “by their fruits you will know them,” and not by the state that we experience. Let us endure, suffer, force ourselves to live a pious life, and the Lord will give us comforting fruit; If we look for pleasure alone, we know where the path of those who live coolly ends.

New Year and Christmas

Question: If chronology comes from the Nativity of Christ, then why are Christmas and New Year (including the old one) in different days?

Answer: Christmas is the birthday of Christ. And the New Year is a very conventional date. You can take any point in time of three hundred and sixty-five days and say: here the year ends and the new year begins. But now, with the introduction of a new style, it seems providential, the New Year has come before the Nativity of Christ. What benefit could this have? Such that now, when the New Year falls on the Nativity Fast and Orthodox person It is definitely pointless to indulge in throwing firecrackers and other entertainment; we can celebrate the New Year quite as befits a believer, that is, give an account to our conscience and God of how we spent these three hundred and sixty-five days of the year. And lead this repentant report to the Sacrament of Confession, then Christmas itself will be a joyful and unclouded holiday for us. So it’s very good that the New Year was moved ahead of Christmas.

Orthodox fasts are of great importance in the lives of believers. This is a time of spiritual and physical cleansing. It is important to understand that Orthodox parishioners refuse not only fast food, but also other earthly goods. When the Nativity fast begins, it is forbidden to visit any entertainment establishments, conduct intimate life, spend days in idleness. During this period, a Christian must analyze his actions, repent of sins, pray a lot for himself, his loved ones and the whole world, give alms and help those who need it. Forgiveness of any offenses and renunciation of sinful thoughts is considered important. Diet during fasting excludes any animal food, including fish.

Time of Nativity Fast

The Nativity Fast always begins and ends on the same dates. Every year on November 27, the church celebrates the Feast of St. Philip the Apostle. Immediately after this, abstinence begins for forty days. That is why the Nativity Fast is also called Filippov. From November 28, Orthodox Christians must stop eating fast food. The post ends on January 6, with the appearance of the first star. Until the 12th century, abstinence lasted only seven days, but at the Holy Council in 1166, Patriarch Luke of Constantinople announced the will of the church to fast for 40 days. This period was considered sufficient to cleanse the soul and body from filth, so that one could celebrate the feast of the birth of Christ with pure thoughts and repentance. Since then, the Nativity fast lasts exactly forty days.

Foods that should not be eaten during fasting

The main forbidden foods are meat, eggs, dairy products, and strong alcoholic drinks. They cannot be eaten on any of the days of Philip's fast. Fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday, as well as during Orthodox holidays, such as Entry into the Temple Holy Mother of God. We must remember that the New Year, celebrated from December 31 to January 1, is not a holiday according to the rules of the church. Therefore, believers observe fasting on this day as strictly as on ordinary days.

But simply avoiding animal foods is not enough. Orthodox calendar shows what kind of food should be eaten by day during fasting. In particular, Wednesday and Friday are dry eating days. These days you should not only eat fish and wine, but even food with vegetable oil. If great Orthodox holidays fall on Wednesday and Friday, then you are allowed to add a little wine to your diet. On Tuesday and Thursday, food with vegetable oil is allowed, and on Saturday and Sunday it can be varied with fish dishes. If the holiday falls on Tuesday or Thursday, fish is allowed.

Hot meals and dry eating during the Nativity Fast

How the food is prepared also matters. There is such a thing in Orthodoxy as dry eating. This means that you can only eat food that has not been heat treatment. Usually these are vegetables, fruits, nuts, honey. Bread, oddly enough, also belongs to dry food. Hot drinks are strictly prohibited. You can only drink water. If a great holiday falls on Wednesday or Friday, it is permissible to add some church wine to your table.

Dry eating is observed on Wednesday and Friday throughout Lent. These days you can only eat uncooked food without vegetable oil. On Monday, hot food is allowed, but also without oil, but not in the very last week of fasting. In general, food during the Nativity Fast consists of any non-fast food. It must be used in limited quantities. To comply proper nutrition on days during fasting, you can purchase a special calendar and check the list of permitted products every day.

What did people eat in Rus' during the Nativity Fast?

In Rus', on fasting days they ate porridge, mushrooms, honey, berries, and vegetables. And in the southern regions there are also fruits. From these products you can prepare a variety of hearty dishes. On weekends and holidays, fish is added to them, so food during the Nativity Fast can be tasty and nutritious.

Cereals were in Rus' long before the appearance of potatoes. Therefore, the porridges were varied, tasty and healthy. In the old days they were saved from vitamin deficiency sauerkraut, which contains a large amount of vitamin C. Delicious thick jelly was made from oat starch and dried berries and fruits. Where there were dried fruits, compotes were prepared.

What to eat during the Nativity Fast

People who have never fasted and are just planning to do so for the first time do not know what to eat. They ask: “What do they eat on Nativity Fast?” Meat and dairy products are the basis of the average Russian diet. If you remove them, there isn't much food left. But it seems so only at first glance.

There is a lot more food choice now than there was 100 years ago. Fruits and vegetables available all year round, appeared in large quantities legumes, such as lentils, beans. Beans are an excellent source of energy.

It is useful to diversify your fasting table with soy products, such as vegetable tofu cheese, it will compensate for the lack of protein in the body. It is also recommended to add sesame seeds to your diet. They compensate for the lack of calcium in the body that occurs due to the lack of dairy products. On days when hot food is allowed, it will be useful to cook cereals. The absence of milk in porridge can be easily replaced with fruits, vegetables and dried fruits. So, it is very tasty to serve buckwheat porridge with prunes, rice porridge with raisins, millet porridge with pumpkin and dried apricots. The strictest period in Orthodoxy is Lent. The diet at this time excludes fish food; there are much more dry days.

Last week of fasting

The food during the Nativity Fast in the last week is the strictest. Fish is completely excluded. On Monday the menu is the same as on Wednesday and Friday, that is, you cannot eat hot food and vegetable oil. On Christmas Eve, complete fasting is prescribed all day and evening until the first star appears in the sky. This is a sign of the birth of Christ. Now you can start celebrating Christmas. The main dish on the table on this day, or rather the evening, is juicy grains of wheat, lentils, and other grains boiled in honey. Nuts, raisins, and poppy seeds are added to the steamed porridge. They do not eat any other food that evening. The next morning, after the service and communion, it is allowed to eat dairy products, eggs, and vegetable oil. This is how the Nativity Fast ends.

Relaxations during fasting

Keeping fasts is an important duty of every Christian, but there are categories of people for whom violating prohibitions is not considered sinful. If eating during the Nativity Fast is, according to all the rules, harmful to health, the daily diet should be changed. You cannot refuse necessary food. The decision to start or stop fasting should be discussed with your doctor. The consumption of forbidden foods is replenished with pure, sincere prayers addressed to God.

Pregnant women and small children should not fast. The only ban for them is on eating meat. Dairy products and eggs are allowed. Children become accustomed to fasting gradually. The first restrictions begin from the moment when the child already knows and understands why it is important to abstain from this or that food. Relaxations are also made for travelers on the road, people engaged in heavy physical labor, and those who suffer from certain diseases. But before you start eating fast food, it is strongly recommended to take the blessing of your spiritual father for this.

Fasting is not a diet!

Fasting times are often used to lose weight. Particularly popular in this sense is Lent, the menu of which consists only of plant foods. In fact, cutting out meat and dairy rarely results in weight loss. More often, some weight gain occurs due to the high carbohydrate content of food. Nutrition during fasting should be balanced to avoid health problems. It is very difficult for a person who fasts for the first time to fulfill all church instructions. Therefore, you need to prepare for fasting in advance, and not when the Nativity Fast begins. The most important thing is to remember that spiritual cleansing is much more important than physical cleansing.

Is the Nativity Fast an exception, what to do if a person cannot fast for health reasons, why is fasting needed at all, answers Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich).

– Vladyka, there are more than half of fast days in the year. Why so many? Why is the post needed at all?

– Fasting is the most ancient Divine institution. The Book of Genesis tells us that immediately after the Lord created man, He forbade him to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This was the first fast in the history of mankind. And, alas, Adam and Eve broke this fast. You could say earthly history humanity began with the breaking of fasting. Therefore, an integral component of the spiritual life of a person striving to return to the fullness of communion with God is self-restraint. This is what main goal post. A person must learn to curb his desires and give priority to the spiritual over the physical. This can only be achieved through many years of exercise. Fasting is just such a spiritual exercise. That is why the Church recommends that its members constantly practice fasting. In addition to multi-day fasts, Orthodox Christians fast on Wednesday and Friday almost throughout the year. This shows how important it is to our spiritual life.

– Each post is associated with sorrowful events. Uspensky - happy death day Mother of God, Petropavlovsk - with the martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul, Great - with the death of the Savior himself. And only the Nativity Fast is an exception to the rule. Christmas is a joyful holiday, and we fast again, for 40 days, like on the eve of Easter. Why?

– Fasting is not associated with sorrowful events. Multi-day fasts are preparation for especially joyful events. Great Lent is a time of special preparation for the holiday of Easter, Assumption Lent for the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, and Rozhdestven Lent for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Easter and Christmas are the two main Christian holiday, therefore preparation for them is associated with multi-day fasts.

The idea that fasting is some kind of mournful pastime is alien to the Church. Our Lord Jesus Christ in Sermon on the Mount clearly says: “When you fast, do not be sad, like the hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people as fasting... And you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you may appear to those who fast, not to men, but to your Father” (Matthew 6:16–18). In the first week of Great Lent, when the Church Charter prescribes abstinence with particular strictness, a bright chant sounds during the service: “Let us fast with a pleasant fast.” The time of fasting is a time of spiritual achievement, associated with deepening into one's heart, concentrated prayer and study of the Holy Scriptures. For a person who loves God, this is not a time of sorrow, but a time of spiritual joy.

– What to do if a person cannot fast for health reasons?

– In such cases, relaxations in fasting are allowed. A person who cannot observe fasting in full strictness must approach the priest before starting the fast, explain the situation to him and receive a blessing to deviate from the strictness of fasting. Usually, based on the person’s condition and the circumstances of his life, the priest helps establish a rule for observing fasting that will be within the person’s power. We must not forget that fasting is not a diet, but a time of spiritual achievement. Even if we cannot strictly abstain from food, we can read the Word of God and offer intense prayer to the Creator.

– At work, at a party, on the road, in a non-church environment, fasting is not always possible. How much should this be resisted?

– For recent years Our society has already become accustomed to the fact that a significant part of it strives to observe church regulations in their lives. Therefore, today during multi-day fasts, as a rule, it is suggested Lenten menu in canteens, cafes and restaurants. Colleagues at work also usually treat their colleagues calmly and even with respect who observe fasts. Today there are no longer the same difficulties that haunted believers in Soviet society. At that time, society actively opposed religion. And openly declare that you are fasting, in Soviet era It was almost like a confession. Nevertheless, even today our society is still far from true religiosity, therefore the life of a church person in a de-churched world carries with it many temptations.

We must remember that fasting is not just abstaining from certain types of food, but also a time when we must teach ourselves to treat our neighbors with true Christian love. Loss of love, quarrels, contentions and conflicts cannot be justified by the desire to observe the letter of the Church Charter. After all, giving up anger is for most of us a much more serious exercise than giving up certain types of food.

– Today, many lean products are no different from fast foods: soy sausage, vegetable sandwich butter, powdered artificial milk and other substitutes. Formally, we fast, but in reality we do not deny ourselves anything. How do you feel about this trend?

– Fasting is a multidimensional concept. It involves not only abstaining from certain types of food, but also limiting its quantity. For example, in monasteries, during periods of fasting, the number of meals per day is reduced. If in normal times there are two or three meals a day in the monastery, then during fasting there can be only one. Fasting also involves giving up treats.

Usually, artificial milk and butter substitutes are not particularly beneficial for our body, so it is better not to abuse them.

But the main thing is that the so-called gastronomic component of fasting does not overshadow the spiritual one. There is no benefit in strict dietary restrictions unless they are coupled with prayer and spiritual focus. This is what needs to be given special attention during fasting.

– Where to begin correction for a person who has decided to fast not only gastronomically, but also internally?

– We all know our heart very well: what are its main weaknesses, what are its main vices and addictions. Therefore, when starting to fast, everyone can make a special promise to themselves that during the days of fasting they will refrain, for example, from jokes or idle talk, from anger or indignation. And when these unkind aspirations arise in our hearts, we must remember the promise we made to ourselves and try to immediately suppress them. If we feel a special passion for money or material wealth in general, during this period we can take on a special obligation to perform works of mercy. Thus, fasting will become for us not only physical, but also spiritual, internal.

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich)
Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova
Orthodox Life

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