Lent(or another name for Pentecost) is one of major events Christian world. This is a rite of long preparation of a Christian believer for the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. Lent in 2019 will be from March 11 to April 27.

This is the longest abstinence from food and drink in Christianity. It lasts seven weeks and must be accompanied by spiritual practice so that a person can cleanse his body, mind and soul.

The second title of the fast, “Quentary Day,” more accurately indicates the duration of food and spiritual abstinence - 40 days. This is the period that in everyday life we ​​consider the time that the soul of a deceased person needs to leave this world. IN religious practice- this is the time that the body of the deceased Jesus Christ spent on earth, and after which he was resurrected.

These seven weeks are necessary so that the believer can understand and feel what the Savior experienced, suffering for us on the cross and experiencing hardships in his worldly life, often experiencing hunger and thirst, wandering with his disciples. Thus, abstaining from excess food helps us feel gratitude to the Lord for the disasters He endured for us.

Preparing for Lent

It is worth preparing for such a long period of restraint from certain drinks and foods. Lent is preceded by a “preparatory” fast. It lasts four weeks, each of which is dedicated to a particular biblical event or phenomenon.

The first week is the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee. At this time, the church recommends that believers think about true and apparent things in our lives. This week the rules of fasting are lifted on Wednesday and Friday. On other days you can eat anything non-frugal.

The second week is the Week of prodigal son. These seven days you can eat meat, but on Wednesdays and Fridays you should abstain from it.

Third week - Week o the Last Judgment, or also called meat-and-fat. From now on, your diet should become “empty” of meat in any form.

And the last week before Lent is raw food week, or also Maslenitsa, because... it precedes the celebration of Maslenitsa. It is not forbidden to eat meat again on Wednesdays and Fridays.

What is “fast food”?

Savory food, expressing oneself modern language, are products of animal origin. By “meat” we mean all food products obtained from warm-blooded animals. Meat, fat (lard), milk, eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, etc. - These are fast foods that are prohibited during Lent. Fish is also added to this list.

Precedence of fasting

The last preparatory week before Lent is cheese or Maslenitsa. Maslenitsa is celebrated throughout the week. This holiday has Old Slavonic roots. Celebrations take place on all days, each of which has its own name, traditions, and rituals.

In this way, believers prepared for a long period of spiritual and dietary modesty. Celebrations on Maslenitsa are always massive, loud, bright, with culinary excesses (traditionally with pancakes).

The last Sunday of the fourth week is Farewell Sunday or Forgiveness Day. This is an act of repentance before people, which precedes repentance before God.

On this day, the so-called “beginning” also took place - a person’s decision not to eat fast food for . And already on Easter day, after church service, there was a “breaking of the fast” - usually a family dinner, during which those fasting eat animal products for the first time, thus ending the fast.

Weeks of Lent

Each week of Lent also has its own name and is dedicated to a special event.

The first is the week of the triumph of Orthodoxy. The first Monday of Lent (February 19, 2018) is called Clean Monday. You can't eat anything on this day. It is also worth refraining from work, devoting yourself to prayer and spiritual cleansing.

The second is the week of St. Gregory, one of the most revered theologians in Orthodoxy.

The third is the week of the Worship of the Cross, because in churches they carry out a cross as a symbol of Christ’s crucifixion.

The fourth is in memory of St. John Climacus, author of the book “The Larch of Paradise.”

The fifth is the week of memory of St. Mary of Egypt, who symbolizes with her life an example of true repentance and faith.

Sixth - Flower Week, chanting the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus by Christ.

Seventh - Holy Week. This week, all days have their own importance, but the most significant of which are the last four:

• Clean Thursday of Holy Week is a day of healing, on which at dawn you need to wash your body and clean the house;
• Good Friday is the day of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for the sins of mankind;
• Holy Saturday is the day of remembrance of the teachings of the Lord and preparation for the celebration of Easter;
• Light Christ's Sunday or - the day of celebration of the resurrection of the Lord on the third day after death.

Nutrition during Lent

During fasting you cannot eat any animal: milk, meat, cheeses, fish are prohibited.

IN Clean Monday do not eat food, being content clean water after sunset.

During the rest of the period, you can eat foods of plant origin without fat; on some days you can eat vegetable oil (sunflower, olive, flaxseed, etc.).

Monday, Wednesday and Friday are days of cold food, no butter, the only meal is after sunset.

Tuesday and Thursday are days of hot food, but still without oil, once and only after sunset.

Saturday and Sunday - you can eat twice, adding butter to your food and sipping grape wine.

Meal schedule for Lent 2019

First week (March 11-17, 2019)

• Mon. - water after sunset, prayer.
• Thu - cold food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Fri. - cold food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Sat. - hot food, maybe butter, wine

Second - sixth weeks (March 18 - April 21, 2019)

• Mon. - cold food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Tue. - hot food without oil.
• Wed - cold day, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Thurs. - hot food without oil.
• Fri - cold day, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Sat. - hot food, maybe butter, wine.
• Sun. - hot food, maybe butter, wine.

Seventh (Holy) Week (April 22 - 27, 2019)

• Mon. - cold food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Tue. - cold food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Wed - cold food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Thurs. - cold food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Fri - water after sunset, prayer
• Sat. - cold food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, bread
• Sun. — Easter, breaking the fast, breaking the fast

Last of multi-day fasts in the year - Rozhdestvensky or Filippov. The second name arose because the prayer before its beginning (11/14 according to the old style) falls on the day of remembrance of St. Philip. The Nativity Fast itself has clear deadlines: every year it begins on November 28, lasts 40 days and ends on January 6.

Compliance with restrictions during this period allows Orthodox people make a feasible sacrifice in gratitude for the harvest, cleanse your flesh and spiritually prepare for one of the greatest holidays for all Christians.

Duration

Initially, the Nativity fast lasted only a week, but after the proclamation of this period during the council by Patriarch Luke of Constantinople as a pan-Christian tribute of gratitude to the Lord God, it was increased to 40 days and received a common name in the Church Charter - Pentecost.

Just like every year, in 2018 it begins on November 28 (Wednesday) and lasts 5.5 weeks until Christmas Eve - January 6, 2019 (Sunday).

Spiritual basis

Those believers who intend to take the path of restrictions during this period must understand that the meaning of the Nativity Fast is to gain another spiritual experience. It is important to feel and realize that carnal pleasures are secondary, and sometimes they interfere with hearing the voice of God, which sounds inside every Orthodox Christian. At this time, a person must realize the sinfulness of his existence and sincerely desire to repent and make himself purer, more resilient and more submissive to all the trials that fate has in store.

For the same purpose, during all the weeks of Pentecost and another 11 days after it (Yuletide), the church does not conduct wedding ceremonies: worldly needs and personal joys should not overshadow the main spiritual goal of those fasting during this period.

Restrictions during these 40 days cannot be perceived as punishment. On the contrary, there should be light and joy in the soul from the small part that a believer is able to express his love for the Father God and Jesus Christ.

A moderate fasting diet reduces in people passionate and sinful thoughts that can arise due to excessive nutrition. But the overall goal is not to weaken a person, but to strengthen his spirit, to which light and unburdened flesh will obey.

Rules of the Nativity Fast

For those who want to enter the Nativity Fast as the church teaches, you need to know what rules should be followed during this period:

• A few days before the start, you can repent and receive a blessing from the priest.
• You cannot allow anger, envy, or despondency in your soul. If you have any doubts about whether you will be able to endure it to the end, you need to go to church for advice. It is important to remember that God does not give everyone more than they can handle.
• During these months, you should avoid entertainment events, holidays, and entertaining shows. This is important both from a spiritual point of view and from a practical point of view: during the holidays it is easier to be tempted and break the fasting diet.
• You should abstain from intimate relationships.
• During this period, you need to attend church as often as possible.

Principles of nutrition

For the entire period of restrictions, it is important to give up animal products. Cottage cheese, meat, butter, cheese, eggs can only be eaten after Christmas Eve. You can replace these products with mushrooms, beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, mung bean and other legumes.

The basis of the diet will be lean soups and porridge. Cereals will dominate the table during these 40 days, but it is important to remember that they must be cooked only in water and without adding butter; it is also advisable not to add salt and sugar. You can cook wheat, semolina, corn, pearl barley, buckwheat, oatmeal and other porridges.

Do not overuse various seasonings or eat pickled vegetables. But fresh vegetables, stewed, boiled, or steamed are ideal as lean food. The same applies to fruits, you can eat them different types nuts and honey.

Consuming vegetable oil will be beneficial. You shouldn’t limit yourself to just sunflower oil; you can also use olive, corn, flaxseed, soybean, mustard, sesame, nut, pumpkin, etc.

Fish and seafood will perfectly complement your diet. It is better to choose low-fat varieties with white fillets: pollock, cod, capelin, squid. You can use it to cook steamed cutlets, bake in the oven, dry-dry, etc. You can make soups based on canned fish. Vegetable salads with tuna, as well as seaweed, are also excellent.

Eating bread is allowed, but it is better to give preference to gray rye.

Every Wednesday and Friday the requirements become stricter, so on these days the consumption of fish and vegetable oils is excluded.

The main requirement for the fasting period is to provide yourself with the most varied diet within the framework established by church canons. This will ensure the supply of all necessary nutrients and vitamins, and will also have the necessary cleansing effect for the digestive system.

Meals by day

To make it easier to navigate during the Nativity Fast, you can use the daily nutrition schedule:

• November 28 - traditionally, on the first day you need to prepare Lenten kutya, which should be treated to all guests at home.
• From November 28 to December 19 (St. Nicholas the Wonderworker's Day) - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it is advisable to eat thermally unprocessed food, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays you can eat hot food. On weekends, you can allow yourself about 100 ml of dry or semi-sweet red wine diluted with water.
• From December 20 to January 1 - three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) - fast without oil, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends - days of relaxation, you can drink hot tea and eat fish dishes.

• From January 2 to January 5: the last week of Lent is more strict. You need to give up sugar, salt and hot drinks, and otherwise stick to the diet of the previous period.
• January 6 – until the stars appear in the sky, you can’t eat, you can only drink water. After the first star appears, you should break your fast with a juice of rice or wheat grains soaked in water with the addition of honey, dried fruits and nuts.

After stopping fasting, you should not immediately start eating a lot of different foods; you need to be especially careful when introducing fatty foods.

The clergy emphasize that during the Nativity Fast it is important to feel how the flesh becomes purer and lighter. It is necessary to forgive all your offenders and enter the Nativity of Christ with a bright soul.

Rules of the Nativity Fast: video

Every believer realizes the importance of the most important Orthodox fasting- Great. It is called that because it prepares a person for the coming of the main festive event - the onset of Easter Sunday. The date of this event varies every year, so the beginning and end of Lent should also be specified separately. Today we will tell you about the most important aspects Lenten menu, how to fast and what date Lent will begin in 2018.

When does Lent begin in 2018?

The first day of Lent is counted from the moment of Easter. Bright Sunday of Christ in 2018 will be celebrated on April 8, and Lent is all forty days before this moment. Thus, Lent in 2018 begins on February 19 (Monday) and will last until April 7 (Saturday) inclusive.

Lent 2018 - what date. Food and dining

The main rule of fasting is not complete abstinence from food, but the pacification of one’s desires. This may manifest itself in full compliance with the monastery menu, or perhaps only partially. It's worth knowing that in modern world It is very rare to strictly fast even in temples. Therefore, you should not exhaust yourself with insanely small portions and meager food. During fasting, it is forbidden to eat products of animal origin - both meat and eggs, milk, and all animal fats. You can replace them with nuts and mushrooms, soy.

Meals during Lent 2018

February 11 (Mon.) – fasting.
Monday February 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26, April 2 – dry eating. Food should not be diluted with oil or heated.
Tuesday 20, 27 February, 6, 13, 20, 27 March, 3 April – food can be heated, but adding oil is not allowed.
Wednesday February 21, 28, March 7, 14, 21, 28, April 4 – dry eating, as on Monday.
Thursday February 22, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5 – heated food without oil.
Friday February 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, April 6 – dry eating, as on Monday and Wednesday.
Saturday, Sunday February 24, 25, March 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 and March 31 - food can be flavored with vegetable oil. It is allowed to heat food and drink some red church wine.

Lent in 2018 - from February 19 to April 7

During Lent, it is not recommended to eat food of animal origin - meat, eggs, milk. However, it is allowed to eat fish, but only on the holidays of Palm Resurrection and Annunciation Holy Mother of God. Eating seafood such as squid, shrimp, and mussels is not prohibited during Lent.

But we should not forget that Great Lent is not an Orthodox diet, and the purpose of fasting is not so much to cleanse the stomach as to cleanse the human soul.

As for the meal, according to the Church Charter, there are some rules:

• In the first and last week of Great Lent, special observances are made. strict fast.
• Meat and dairy products (butter, cheese, cottage cheese, milk), eggs, are excluded. That is, all products of animal origin.
• You can eat only once a day, in the evening, however, on Saturdays and Sundays you are allowed to eat twice a day, at lunch and in the evening.
• On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, eat cold food, without vegetable oil. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, hot food without oil is allowed.
• On Saturdays and Sundays it is allowed to add vegetable oil to food, and it is also allowed to drink grape wine (except for Saturday of Holy Week).
• IN good friday(this is the last Friday of Lent) you should abstain from food altogether.
• On Saturday, many who observe fasting also abstain from food until the onset of Great Easter.

What foods are allowed to be consumed during fasting?

If you approach your diet wisely during Lent, then, firstly, you will not have to go hungry, and secondly, even during the period of strict fasting, nutrition can be quite varied and balanced.

So, the main products allowed during fasting:

• Black bread, cereal crispbread.
• Cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, rice, corn, wheat, barley)
• Salted and pickled vegetables, berry and fruit jam.
• Mushrooms of various preparations.
• Legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
• Dried fruits, nuts, honey.
• Seasonal vegetables (potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, cabbage, radishes, etc.)
• Fruits in season (apples, bananas, grant, oranges, etc.)
• Fish is allowed to be consumed twice during the entire fast. On the feast of the Annunciation (in 2016 it falls on April 7) and Palm Sunday (April 24, 2016)

Why should you fast?

The answer to this question will be Holy Bible. The Bible says that for forty days the Savior was in the desert, where he ate and drank practically nothing. He devoted this time to rethinking his life, setting himself up for a difficult fate and fully realizing what awaited him. People, refusing entertainment and animal food, pay tribute to the Son of God, who suffered and tormented for the salvation of our souls, took this step prepared and in full agreement with his fate.

Lent presents main period abstinence of Christian believers from eating a certain type of food, supplemented by spiritual practices of an ascetic nature. Below we will tell you what time Lent falls in 2018 and the main recommendations for fasting people. Great Lent exists in the Orthodox and Catholic tradition, as a mandatory action associated with preparation for the celebration of the main Christian holiday - Easter. Protestants also have a similar practice, but it is not obligatory, but voluntary - everyone’s personal choice.

Lent was established by Christian tradition as a tribute to the memory of Jesus Christ in the desert, where he stayed for forty days after his baptism. Here the Savior of the human race was subjected to three temptations: hunger, pride and faith. These temptations run like a red line throughout Lent for every Christian. A person must learn to live on spiritual food, become humble and rooted in his faith in the Lord. In church services during Lent, prayers and repentance are dedicated to the death and subsequent resurrection of the Savior.

What date is Lent in 2018?

The time has come to move on to the practical component of spiritual and ascetic practices and determine what date Lent is in 2018, since this period of abstinence anticipates Easter, and Easter has a floating date.

In 2018, Lent in the Orthodox Christian tradition will be in period from February 19 (Monday) to April 7 (Saturday).

Lent in 2018 in the Catholic Christian tradition falls on the period from February 11 (Sunday) to April 1 (Sunday), including the Easter holiday itself, as an integral part of spiritual growth and communion with the divine.

There are four preparatory weeks before Lent. Each of the weeks has its own name and sacred meaning.

• First week (About Zacchaeus). Starts January 21 (Sunday) 2018 at Orthodox tradition and January 14 (Sunday) 2018 in the Catholic tradition.
• Second week (About the publican and the Pharisee). Begins on January 28 (Sunday) in the Orthodox tradition and on January 21 (Sunday) 2018 in the Catholic tradition.
• Third week (About the Prodigal Son). Begins on February 4 (Sunday) in the Orthodox tradition and on January 28 (Sunday) in the Catholic tradition.
• Fourth week. (About the Last Judgment). Begins on February 11 (Sunday) in the Orthodox tradition and on February 4 (Sunday) in the Catholic tradition.

In the Catholic tradition, four preparatory weeks are an optional condition for the beginning of Lent and are voluntary.

Seven weeks of Lent with instructions for meals

• First week. On Monday of the first week of Lent in 2018, a complete refusal to eat is prescribed in order to cleanse oneself of the worldly and tune in to the spiritual. On Tuesday, bread and water are allowed. From Wednesday to Thursday you can eat plant foods that have not been subjected to heat treatment and without adding oil. On Friday they eat boiled food of plant origin, which has been boiled without adding oil. On Saturday and Sunday, boiled food of plant origin with the addition of oil and a small amount of wine are allowed.
• Second week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday - raw food without adding oil. Tuesday, Thursday - boiled food without adding oil. Saturday and Sunday - boiled food with added butter and, if desired, a small amount of wine.
• Third week. Similar to the second week.
• Fourth week. The instructions are identical to the third week.
• Fifth week. The prescriptions are identical to the fourth week, with the exception of Thursday, when it is allowed to eat boiled foods of plant origin with the addition of oil.
• Sixth week. The prescriptions are similar to the fourth week, with the exception of Sunday, when you are allowed to eat fish, but refuse wine, and on Saturday you can taste caviar.
• Seventh (Holy) Week. The first three days of the week - raw food of plant origin without oil. Thursday – boiled food of plant origin with butter and wine. Friday is a strict fast, requiring complete abstinence from food. Saturday - food of plant origin without heat treatment and without oil, it is allowed to drink a little wine. On Sunday - meat eater.

There are exception days if they fall on the days of remembrance of saints. If they fall on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, then they are allowed to eat boiled plant foods with the addition of vegetable oil. If the days of commemoration of saints fall on Wednesday or Friday, they are allowed to eat boiled food without oil and drink a moderate amount of wine.


These instructions primarily concern the Christian Orthodox tradition. In the Christian Catholic tradition, fasting is less strict in nature and is aimed primarily not at limiting the consumption of this or that food, but at giving up the daily habits of believers - for example: refusing to watch TV, participating in entertainment activities, giving up coffee, alcohol or favorite food.

The total duration of fasting is 48 days. It begins on the Monday, seven weeks before Easter, and ends on the Saturday before Easter.

The first week of fasting is carried out with particular strictness. On the first day, complete abstinence from food is accepted. Then, from Tuesday to Friday, dry eating is allowed (eat bread, salt, raw fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, honey, drink water), and on Saturday and Sunday - hot food with butter.

In the second to sixth weeks of Lent, dry eating is established on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; hot food without oil is allowed on Tuesday and Thursday, and hot food with butter is allowed on Saturday and Sunday.

During Holy Week ( last week Lent) dry eating is prescribed, and on Friday you cannot eat until the removal of the shroud.

On the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7) (if it did not fall on Holy Week) and on Palm Sunday (a week before Easter) it is allowed to eat fish. On Lazarus Saturday (before Palm Sunday) you can eat fish roe.

It begins on Monday, the 57th day after Easter (a week after Trinity), and always ends on July 11 (inclusive). In 2018 it lasts 38 days.

During Petrov's Fast, fish is allowed on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, hot food without oil on Monday, and dry eating on Wednesday and Friday.

On the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist (July 7), you can eat fish (regardless of what day it falls on).

During the Dormition Fast, dry eating is allowed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, hot food without butter on Tuesday and Thursday, hot food with butter on Saturday and Sunday.

On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), you can eat fish (regardless of what day it falls on).

In the period from November 28 to the feast of St. Nicholas (December 19 inclusive), hot food without oil is allowed on Monday, fish is allowed on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and dry eating is allowed on Wednesday and Friday.

From December 20 to January 1, on Tuesday and Thursday it is already prohibited to eat fish; instead, hot food with butter is allowed. The remaining days remain unchanged.

From January 2 to 6, dry eating is prescribed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, hot food without oil on Tuesday and Thursday, hot food with butter on Saturday and Sunday.

On Christmas Eve (January 6), you cannot eat until the first star appears in the sky, after which it is customary to eat sochi - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins.

On the holidays of the Entry of the Virgin Mary into the Temple (December 4) and St. Nicholas (December 19), you can eat fish on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.