Nativity Fast 2019-2020: when and what you can eat from 11/28/19

Dates of the Nativity Fast

The time of the Nativity Fast is exactly 40 days. The fast begins on November 28 according to the new style and continues until January 6 inclusive. On the night of January 7, Christians finish fasting and meet the pinnacle of fasting, its main goal and meaning - the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. In every fast, including Christmas, there is a conspiracy, otherwise - the eve of fasting. It falls on November 27, this is the day on which the Orthodox Church remembers the life of the Holy Apostle Philip. It is in his honor that the Nativity Fast is also called Filippov (popularly Filippovka). If the conspiracy falls on one-day fasts (Wednesday or Friday), then it moves to the previous day - November 26 (as in the current year 2015).

Why is the Nativity Fast needed?

The Nativity Fast is a time for growing in God, for fervent prayer and good deeds. All the restrictions that a believer imposes on himself voluntarily - gastronomic fasting, refusal of entertainment - are needed not as an end in themselves, not as a kind of ascetic exercise, but as preparation for the great holiday - the Nativity of Christ. A joyful day when Jesus Christ was born from the Virgin Mary, when the whole world rejoices, welcoming the Savior. We fast in order to enter this day clean, free from vanity and everything that harms our soul.

Advent fast according to the Orthodox calendar

The establishment of the Nativity Fast, like other multi-day fasts, dates back to the ancient times of Christianity. Mention of it has been found since the 4th century in the works of St. Augustine, Philastrius, and St. Ambrose of Milan. In the 5th century, Leo the Great wrote about the antiquity of this post.

Initially, the Nativity Fast lasted seven days for some Christians, and a little longer for others. At the council of 1166, which was held under the Patriarch Luke of Constantinople and the Byzantine Emperor Manuel, all Christians were ordered to fast for 40 days before the great feast of the Nativity of Christ.

The Nativity Fast is almost equal in duration to Lent, but less strict. During this fast, one should abstain from eating meat, milk and eggs.

Fish during the Nativity Fast is allowed on Saturdays and Sundays and on great holidays - on the Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos on December 4, on temple holidays and on the days of great saints, if these days fall on Tuesday or Thursday. From January 2 to 6 of the new style (December 20-24 of the old style), fasting is intensified, and on these days, even on Saturday and Sunday, fish are not blessed.

Sick people should fast to the extent that it is consistent with taking medications and with doctor's orders.

One of the problems for those who fast in our time is that Christmas is celebrated according to the old style on December 25, which corresponds to January 7 according to the new style, and the New Year is celebrated according to the new style on January 1. People who strictly observe church norms have a tradition of celebrating the first minutes of this secular holiday not with the clink of glasses, but with prayer, asking God for good for themselves, their family and the Fatherland in the coming year. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' annually holds a special New Year's prayer service on the evening of December 31st. Similar services are performed on the eve of the holiday in other churches.

The purpose of any fast is an exercise in abstinence, cleansing the soul from passions and sinful thoughts, subordinating the body and soul to the spirit. Therefore, fasting is a refusal not only from certain foods, but also from bad habits and amusements, it is a time of reflection and fervent prayer. Saint John Chrysostom, who is revered by Orthodox believers, also believed that “the one who fasts most of all needs to curb anger, learn meekness and condescension.”

The Nativity Fast ends on January 6 (December 24, old style) with the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, or Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, Orthodox Christians especially prepare for the upcoming holiday.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, in front of the candle marking the Star of Bethlehem, the priests sing the troparion and kontakion of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Nutrition calendar: what you can eat during the Nativity Fast

The Nativity fast is strict. During this period, Orthodox Christians abstain from meat, dairy products and eggs. There are rules of varying severity regarding eating fish. According to the most lenient regulations, fish can be eaten on all days except Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday and Friday you should also not drink wine, and you should eat food without oil - this is called dry eating.

The Nativity Fast marks the New Year. It is better for Orthodox Christians not to break fast on this secular holiday. At the same time, in no case should you condemn family and friends who, unlike you, do not fast. It is better to put both lenten and fast dishes on the New Year's table in order to maintain peace in the family and not turn household members away from the faith with your condemnation.

In addition, even observing all the gastronomic strictures of fasting, we must not forget that these forty days are primarily for the spirit, and not for the body. And food restrictions alone - without spiritual work, without sincere prayer, without helping others - will not bear good fruit.

Nutrition calendar of Petrov's fast 2020 by day

Petrov's fast is one of four multi-day fasts in the charter of the Russian Orthodox Church. It, like Rozhdestvensky, is considered non-strict, and sometimes it is even called “compensatory”, that is, obligatory only for those who did not fast on the Great Fast before Easter. But in fact, all other believers should not miss Peter’s Fast: observing it to one degree or another is a manifestation of humility and love for God. It was erected in memory of the apostles who, through prayer and abstinence, prepared for their preaching feat.

Perhaps the permissive attitude towards Peter's fast is due to the fact that due to the great busyness at this time of year, the peasants could not always fully comply with all the rules of fasting and fasted as much as possible. So, for example, Ivan Shmelev writes in his famous novel “The Summer of the Lord” about how the little hero’s mentor Gorkin strictly observes the food fast, “he doesn’t even eat herring,” but he practically never goes to church: “summer time, there’s a lot of business, - contracts, construction..."

However, according to the regulations, “herring” is just possible on many days of this summer fast. Meat and poultry, eggs and dairy products are prohibited. But you can eat plenty of seasonal foods - fruits, berries, vegetables and mushrooms.

But, of course, it is more important not to thoroughly follow the nutrition calendar of Peter’s Fast, but to try to pay more attention to your soul. Prayer, repentance, reading spiritual literature - all this forms the basis of fasting. And gastronomic abstinence is an auxiliary means, using which believers do not at all have to follow the monastic calendar, but it is convenient, determining their own measure, to use it as a guide. If the calendar indicates “dry eating”, then on this day you need to eat as modestly and simply as possible; “food with vegetable oil” allows for more indulgences; the days on which fish are allowed are the most lax. At the same time, it is not permissible to overeat on any days; you need to try to do without excesses, but get enough nutrients from food, without turning fasting into a fast that is harmful to your health.

In 2020, Petrov's fast will last four weeks from June 15 to July 11 inclusive.

During Peter's Fast, one should abstain from animal products, and on Wednesdays and Fridays also from fish. The very strict monastic charter involves stricter restrictions on fish and the refusal of vegetable oil on some days. But this is a strict monastic charter. Laymen (not monks), as a rule, fast more softly during Peter's Lent. Traditionally, the rule was established to exclude animal food on all days of fasting and fish on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Moreover, if on Wednesday or Friday the memory of a holy temple or a saint who is entitled to an “all-night vigil” is celebrated, then on these days the consumption of fish is also allowed.

Those who want to bring their efforts as close as possible to the statutory requirements can use the nutrition calendar of Petrov’s Fast 2020 by day, not forgetting that the measure of fasting must be chosen in accordance with their state of health, living conditions and other circumstances.

What is Christmas Eve

The last day of the Nativity Fast is called Christmas Eve. This word comes from the name of the dish - sochivo. Sochivo is prepared from grains of wheat, lentils or rice in memory of the fast of the prophet Daniel and the three youths, who ate from the seeds of the earth so as not to be defiled by a pagan meal (Dan 1, 8). Orthodox Christians prayerfully remember these saints just before the Feast of the Nativity of Christ.

According to the church charter, they eat juice on the evening of January 6 after completely abstaining from food throughout the day.

How to keep the Nativity fast for the laity

There are many disputes in the Orthodox community about how to keep the Nativity fast for the laity. The reason is that the rules of fasting, which each of us has read at least once in calendars, magazines and on church websites, refer, as a rule, to the so-called monastic Rules. But a layman does not have to fast as strictly as a monk.

If it is difficult to maintain a strict forty-day fast, you should ask your confessor or just the priest you go to in the local church for an indulgence. What is relaxation? This means that your fast will not be as strict - due to your health or other reasons. After all, the meaning of the Nativity Fast is preparation for the holiday of the Nativity of Christ, fasting is not an “Orthodox diet”, it is a test for our spirit, which helps us see the main thing and cut off everything that is not important, focusing on what the Gospel calls us to. Through self-restraint, become closer to the Lord.

On all days of the Nativity Fast, meat, dairy products and eggs are excluded from the Christian diet. The pinnacle of Lent, the Nativity of Christ, is preceded by January 6, which is also called “Christmas Eve.” This is the day of the strictest fasting - you can only eat bread, water and fruit. “Christmas Eve” comes from the word “sochivo”, sochivo is the faithful wheat, which is traditionally eaten on the eve of Christmas.

Other restrictions, what else is not allowed during the Nativity Fast?

In addition to food restrictions, fasting also applies to entertainment: usually believers consciously refuse to watch entertainment programs; in recent years, it has become common to leave social networks. Regarding fasting and intimate relationships, these days unbridledness is unacceptable and restraint is appropriate. Although in such a delicate matter as the performance of marital duties, priests urge you to be guided by the principles of love and respect for the feelings and needs of your other half.

Having decided to fast, it is important to understand that the meaning of fasting is not in the very restriction of food and not in the renunciation of carnal pleasures - all this is only a means for the main thing: returning us from the whirlwind of everyday life to our Creator - to God. That is why prayer is so important during Lent (without it, everything is meaningless), a feeling of repentance, awareness of one’s weakness, manifestations of love and understanding towards others, helping those in need, and good deeds are so necessary.

We must remember that fasting cannot be imposed; it is absurd to boast about it. Fasting is a change in the center of our life: not our “I”, not the pleasure of our physicality, becomes the main thing, but the spirit, tamed by fasting and turning to its Father - God. Fasting is a difficult path, and it is impossible to go through forty days without breakdowns, without relying on the help of God’s Grace. That is why participation in divine services and the Sacraments of the Church - Confession, Communion - is so important.

By the way, the word “fast” itself comes from the ancient German “fasta”, meaning “hard, strong, constant”, and this tells us that the decision to limit oneself in food and pleasure requires from a person not only awareness, understanding why he is doing this does, but also consistency, fidelity.

Folk traditions of the Nativity Fast

In Rus', the Nativity Fast was also called Filippovka. The fact is that the fast (the last day of eating meat food before the start of one of the three - Rozhdestven, Petrov, Assumption - multi-day fasts) fell on the day of remembrance of the Holy Apostle Philip - November 27, according to the new style.

Filippov's day also had other names: Kudelitsa, Zagovenye, Zapusty or Launches among the Belarusians, Philip. Kudelitsa is the first week of spinning in Filippov fast. In the evenings and at night, with a torch, women carded, tugged, twisted, wound yarn and said: “A lazy spinner doesn’t even have a shirt.” “The spinning wheel is not God, but He gives you a shirt,” “If you don’t wear it in winter, you’ll have nothing to weave in summer,” “Don’t be lazy to spin, you’ll dress well.”

On Kudelitsy in the villages, the last weddings before Lent were played: the Church did not bless getting married during Lent. The “wolf month” begins on Philip Day: wolves gathered in packs and got close to the huts.

Assumption Fast 2020

from August 14 to August 28 (Assumption)
A month after the Apostolic Fast, the multi-day Assumption Fast begins. It lasts two weeks - from August 14 to 27. With this fast, the Church calls us to imitate the Mother of God, who, before her resettlement to heaven, constantly remained in fasting and prayer. Monday, Wednesday, Friday – dry eating. 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 (August 19), fish is allowed. Fish day in Assumption, if it falls on Wednesday or Friday.

Advent fast for Catholics

The Nativity Fast among Catholics is in many ways similar in meaning to the Orthodox. In Western countries, Christmas is celebrated on December 25, and it is interesting that believers give a so-called “resolution” before fasting, that is, they indicate what and how they will limit themselves - whether in food or in some pleasures. The decree can also be a promise to do acts of mercy - go to nursing homes, make regular charitable donations, and much more.

Catholics also have such a concept as “Advent”. These are four Sundays before the Nativity of Christ, days when you need to be especially careful, reflect on why Christ came into the world and what His good news was to all Christians.

How to spend the Nativity Fast?

Archpriest Igor FOMIN, rector of the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky at MGIMO, answers:

Each person needs to determine his own measure of fasting. One can fast in full, and it will be good for him. Others, on the contrary, should weaken their fast.

Sick people can fast not as strictly as is written in the Charter. Illness is also a kind of fasting, humility of the flesh. In addition, for some diseases, a gastronomic fast can be harmful to your health. Listen to yourself, ask your doctor for advice.

Pregnant women have their own measure of fasting; in military personnel; for those who work in a stressful environment or study.

The most important thing that “you cannot eat during Lent” is your neighbors. I'm talking about anger, irritation, quarrels and any other negative behavior that destroys peace between people. After all, by treating our neighbors badly, we destroy the bridge between us and God. Of course, a special topic is children's fasting. Sometimes it is better to agree with children that during Lent they will, for example, eat less candy, than to impose restrictions on them in dairy and meat foods. In any case, with all doubts and questions about fasting, I advise you to approach your confessor or priest whom you trust.

Christmas post for children

The Nativity fast for children is a special, very delicate topic. What the children's fast will be like needs to be decided separately for each Orthodox family. It is best to do this together with a confessor who knows both the parents and the child and can give spiritual advice on what will be useful and what will not.

Children do not need to fast to the fullest extent of monastic fasting. After all, what is the main meaning of the Nativity Fast? In preparation for the Nativity of Christ, in the education of the soul. It is often much better to agree with your child that during Lent, for example, he will eat less sweets and not watch TV. Such a restriction will be a much greater feat for the baby, and this feat will have a deeper meaning than giving up meat, for example.

Is it possible to celebrate the New Year during the Nativity Fast?

Archpriest Igor Fomin

Archpriest Igor FOMIN, rector of the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky at MGIMO, answers:

For the New Year you can make two tables - Lenten and regular. From personal experience, I know that lenten dishes may not differ at all from non-lenten ones in terms of deliciousness and originality. And even surpass them.

Let preparing two tables be one of your “lenten” acts, a sign of humility before your family. If you know for sure that your loved ones will conflict with you because they won’t put a piece of sausage or meat olivier on their plate (which, by the way, can be perfectly prepared, for example, with crabs) - meet them halfway. Let them choose for themselves.

The fact is that fasting is a deeply personal state of a person. Everyone has their own measure of fasting. If you want to fast strictly, please do so. But be respectful of those who do not fast. Whether for health or for some other reasons. New Year is a family holiday, and peace and harmony must be maintained. You may well raise a glass of champagne or wine with your parents.

As for New Year's fun, hanging out with children, sledding - I don't see anything wrong with that. Whenever it is - Christmas or Lent. If children are happy, if this is a miracle and a fairy tale for them, how can you refuse them?

If you set off fireworks for the New Year, set them off for Christmas, or better yet, twice as many! Children have fun, and you will slowly reorient them towards a more important holiday.

Advent and New Year

Priest Svyatoslav Shevchenko

Advent and New Year - how to combine these two holidays, church and secular? This question worries many, especially if there are children in the family who are looking forward to the New Year, Christmas tree and gifts with much more impatience than adults, and for whom it will be difficult to understand if their parents categorically say: “We are fasting, we cannot celebrate the New Year.” .

Yes, on the one hand, it is useful for Orthodox Christians not to give up fasting on New Year’s Day and to continue to observe food restrictions. After all, the Nativity Fast lasts until January 6 inclusive, and the New Year's table, bursting with delicious dishes, is little consistent with the asceticism and thoughtful path of fasting.

But the fasting person should observe moderation in everything and approach everything in a Christian way. If there are both believers and non-believers in a family, under no circumstances should you bring discord into the house or condemn loved ones who do not fast. A quarrel in front of the table with food that was prepared with love can nullify all the spiritual victories that the fasting person has achieved. The best way to solve the question of how to spend the New Year if you are fasting, but your family and friends are not, is to put both lenten and fast (non-lenten) dishes on the New Year's table. By the way, preparing two tables is a wonderful “Lenten” act, your good will, your humility in the face of the fact that every person is free to choose for himself whether to fast or not.

The same goes for New Year's fun - street festivities, sledding down hills, fireworks and round dances around the Christmas tree. If children and adults rejoice, if for the former it is a fairy tale, and for the latter it is a sweet reminder of childhood, there is nothing wrong with it. Of course, during the Nativity Fast, as well as at any other time, you cannot indulge in “evil” fun, including drinking alcohol to excess.

Nutrition calendar for the period of Advent Lent 2015-2016

Nutrition calendar for the period of Advent Lent 2015-2016. The Nativity Fast always begins on November 28 and ends on the night of Christmas, January 6 . It lasts, just like Lent, forty days.

The Nativity Fast is called to sanctify the last part of the year and prepare Orthodox Christians to meet the Savior.

The Nativity Fast is not very strict and is similar in its rules to the Peter the Great Fast. Of course, meat, butter, milk, eggs and cheese are not eaten during this fast. However, fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday (until January 1), as well as on the day of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 4 (if it does not fall on Wednesday or Friday). In addition, fish is eaten on Tuesdays and Thursdays (until December 19), as well as if later on these days the memory of revered saints . On Wednesdays and Fridays, fish is allowed only if they coincide with the patronal feast of the temple , to the parish of which the fasting person considers himself.

On ordinary days, food on Tuesdays and Thursdays should be cooked in vegetable (vegetable) oil . No vegetable oil on Monday. On Wednesday and Friday, the so-called “dry eating” is food that does not require special preparation. For children (especially babies), pregnant and lactating women, old and sick people, as well as those engaged in heavy physical labor, especially on the street, the rules of fasting are weakened. It is better if you discuss these issues with a priest familiar with the situation.

From January 2 to January 6, fasting is intensified ; eating fish is not blessed even on Saturday and Sunday. January 6 – Christmas Eve . On this day, if possible, they try not to eat food at all, but with the onset of darkness (the rising of the first star) break their fast with juice.

A convenient and understandable Advent calendar has been prepared especially for readers of our website.

When posting a calendar, be sure to include a link to this article, otherwise copying violates the commandment “Thou shalt not steal.” This is an original work, the calendar was designed specifically for this article.

The period of Nativity Lent marks the Twelfth Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 4) and the so-called “Winter St. Nicholas”, which is very revered in Russia - the feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (December 19).

“Let us fast with a fast that is pleasant, pleasing to the Lord.” This verse reminds us that fasting should not be pleasant to us, but accepted by the Lord. Only bodily fasting, without spiritual humility, can do more harm to the soul than good. Why is this happening? A person fasting, especially a beginner in this difficult task, may become overly proud and, to some extent, imbued with a sense of his own superiority. Often, this is precisely what shows the need to reduce visits to entertainment with abundant food. After all, the person fasting at this time concentrates everyone’s attention on himself, causing unnecessary conversations, which sometimes give rise to self-exaltation.

Conception during the Nativity Fast

There is a lot of debate among Orthodox Christians about whether it is possible to become pregnant during the Advent Fast and whether conception during the Advent Fast will be sinful. The reason is that the ban on performing the Sacrament of Wedding coincides with those days when the Church does not bless intimate relationships between spouses, namely during fasting, on the eve of fasting days (Wednesday and Friday) and before major holidays.

But a child conceived during the Nativity Fast is the same child of God as any other - beloved, long-awaited, worthy of salvation. The fact that such a child is unwanted by the Lord is a dangerous superstition that no real Christian should allow into his heart.

One-day posts

Epiphany Christmas Eve - January 18 , on the eve of the Epiphany. 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 Holy Cross - September 27 . The memory of the Savior's suffering on the cross for the salvation of the human race. This day is spent in prayer, fasting, and contrition for sins. One-day fasts are days of strict fasting (except Wednesday and Friday). Fish is prohibited, but food with vegetable oil is allowed.

Preparation for Communion during the Nativity Fast

Preparation for Communion during the Nativity Fast, in essence, does not differ from the usual preparation for this Sacrament. But it also has its own, special meaning. When a Christian is in the process of preparing for a great holiday, when he tunes into a spiritual mood day after day, when he limits himself to food and pleasures, Communion often becomes even deeper, even more important for him.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh beautifully said about Communion during the Nativity Fast in his sermon: “Fasting does not mean that you need to beg from God even more persistently than usual; fasting does not mean that you need to come to Communion more often than usual. Fasting is a time when we must stand in the face of God's judgment, listen to the voice of our conscience - and abstain from Communion if we cannot partake worthily. And to commune with dignity means that before each Communion we must make peace with those with whom we are at odds; we must dwell on the thoughts of our mind and heart, convicting us of betrayal of God and unfaithfulness to people - and do something in this direction; we must be reconciled with the Living God, so that it does not turn out that He died for us in vain. Therefore, our task now is to think deeply about ourselves, subject ourselves to merciless, strict judgment and approach Communion through confession, through repentance, through a thorough examination of our own lives.”

Unction at Nativity Fast

Unction during the Nativity Fast is a rarer phenomenon than unction during Great Lent. As a rule, unction takes place once a year, and specifically during Lent.

Unction is a prayer in which we ask God for forgiveness of our forgotten sins. It is the forgotten, this, in particular, is the meaning of unction, what distinguishes it from the Sacrament of Communion.

Unction is so called because several priests gather to perform it. As the breviary says, there should be seven priests, but, of course, it happens that one priest does everything. It is important that unction is performed not only on the sick, it is important and useful for every Orthodox Christian.

Continuous weeks without fasting

from January 7 to January 17, 2020 - Christmastide.
from February 22 to 28, 2020 - the week of the Publican and the Pharisee.
from March 7 to 13, 2020 - Maslenitsa (Cheese week).
from May 2 to May 8, 2020 - Easter (Bright) week.
from 20 to 26 June 2020 - Trinity Week.

All Souls Days 2020

Ecumenical Parents' Saturday (Meat and Fat) - March 5, 2016.
Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent - March 26, 2020.
Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent - April 2, 2020.
Saturday of the 4th week of Lent - April 9, 2020.
Radonitsa and Commemoration of the Dead Soldiers - April 29, 2016.
Commemoration of deceased soldiers - May 10, 2020.
Ecumenical Trinity Parents' Saturday - June 18, 2020.
Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday - November 5, 2020.

Advent: what you can and cannot eat during this period