Orthodox Fasting Days and Seasons
The Orthodox Church gives us regular fasting days throughout the year so that fasting becomes part of the rhythm of Christian life.
The ecclesiastical year begins on September 1. The first of the four major fasting seasons encountered during the Church year is therefore the Nativity Fast.
The fasting rules below present the customary pattern followed in this calendar. Local practices may vary, so the calendar of one's parish or diocese should always be consulted.
Wednesday and Friday
Orthodox Christians normally fast every Wednesday and Friday, except during appointed fast-free periods or when the calendar gives a feast-day relaxation.
Wednesday recalls the betrayal of Christ by Judas. It calls us to examine the ways in which we betray the Lord through sin, fear, self-interest, or indifference.
Friday recalls the Crucifixion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through fasting, we remember the Cross and respond to Christ's sacrifice with repentance and gratitude.
Outside of a fasting season, these days are kept as a strict fast — see What do the different fasting degrees mean? below for what that includes.
The Nativity Fast
The Nativity Fast is observed from November 15 through December 24 (see the calendar note below for how this date maps onto the Julian and Revised civil calendars). It prepares us for the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The customary pattern is:
- Monday: strict fast
- Tuesday: oil permitted
- Wednesday: strict fast
- Thursday: oil permitted
- Friday: strict fast
- Saturday: fish permitted
- Sunday: fish permitted
Certain greater feasts during the week may permit oil or another relaxation according to the calendar.
Great Lent
Great Lent prepares the faithful for the Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ. Its dates change each year because they depend upon the date of Pascha — see the calendar note below.
The customary pattern is:
- Monday through Friday: strict fast
- Saturday and Sunday: oil permitted
Fish is permitted on:
- The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
- Palm Sunday
Certain important feasts during the week may permit oil. Holy Week continues the fasting struggle according to its own solemn liturgical order.
The Apostles' Fast
The Apostles' Fast begins on the Monday after the Sunday of All Saints and ends with the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on June 29. Its length changes each year because its beginning depends upon Pascha — see the calendar note below.
The customary pattern is:
- Monday: strict fast
- Tuesday: oil permitted
- Wednesday: strict fast
- Thursday: oil permitted
- Friday: strict fast
- Saturday: fish permitted
- Sunday: fish permitted
Greater feasts during the week may bring a relaxation according to the calendar.
The Dormition Fast
The Dormition Fast is observed from August 1 through August 14 (see the calendar note below). It prepares the faithful for the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The customary pattern is:
- Monday through Friday: strict fast
- Saturday and Sunday: oil permitted
Fish is permitted on the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord (August 6). Other important feasts may permit oil according to the calendar. The fast ends the evening before the Feast of the Dormition itself (August 15), which is kept fast-free.
What do the different fasting degrees mean?
The fasting seasons and days above use five degrees, from least to most restrictive:
Fast-free — no restrictions; every food is permitted.
Oil permitted — abstain from meat, dairy products, eggs, and fish; oil and wine are allowed.
Fish permitted — abstain from meat, dairy products, and eggs; fish, oil, and wine are allowed.
Strict fast — abstain from meat, dairy products, eggs, fish, wine, and oil.
The exact application may differ according to local tradition, health, age, work, and pastoral guidance.
Special one-day fasts
Beyond the four fasting seasons above, the Church calendar sets aside three individual days each year for strict fasting, kept to the same standard described above:
- Beheading of St. John the Baptist — August 29.
- Elevation of the Holy Cross — September 14.
- Eve of Theophany (the day before the Feast of Theophany) — January 5.
These three days carry the same weight as a normal designated fast day in the Church's yearly cycle — no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine, or oil.
A note on dates and this site's Julian/Revised calendar toggle
Every date given above — the Nativity Fast's November 15 through December 24, the Dormition Fast's August 1 through 14, and the three one-day strict fasts — is stated in the Church's traditional ecclesiastical reckoning, the same convention already used by this site's "Today in the Church" calendar feature. If you follow the site's Revised calendar toggle, these dates match the civil calendar directly. If you follow the Julian (Old Calendar) toggle, add 13 days to find the matching civil date — for example, the Nativity Fast's traditional November 15 start falls on civil November 28 under Old Calendar reckoning, and its traditional December 24 end falls on civil January 6.
Great Lent and the Apostles' Fast work differently. Because their dates are set by the date of Pascha rather than a fixed point on the calendar, and Pascha's date itself is calculated the same way for both Old and Revised Calendar Orthodox Christians in the great majority of jurisdictions, these two fasting seasons do not shift with the Julian/Revised toggle the way the fixed-date fasts above do — their dates are the same regardless of which toggle is selected.
Sources and further reading
- Dates and patterns cross-checked against oca.org's fasting outline; consistent with common published Orthodox practice.
- See also: Fasting and Prayer and Why Do Orthodox Christians Fast? on this site, for the spiritual meaning and theological rationale behind these practices.
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