Fasting and its meaning. Petrov post

The Orthodox Church has designated all fasts in honor of the greatest church holidays and the most significant biblical events. Fasts vary in both their duration and the severity of abstinence. The most important and longest fasts are multi-day fasts. The Church also calls on all believers to fast on one-day fasts, including Wednesdays and Fridays.

Multi-day fasts of the Orthodox Church.

This fast is the most important and oldest of all fasts existing in Orthodoxy. It is commemorated in honor of our Creator, who for forty days, despite the temptation of the devil, did not eat anything. With his forty-day fast, God determined the path of our universal salvation.

Lent lasts for seven weeks. It begins from Forgiveness Resurrection and lasts until Holy Easter.

This post has its own characteristics. Believers must fast with increased severity during the first week and Holy Week. On all other days, the degree of abstinence is determined by specific days of the week:

— Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are devoted to dry eating;

— Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved for hot food without oil;

- Saturdays and Sundays are days of light relaxation; it is allowed to add oil to food.

Days when fish are allowed include Palm Sunday and the Annunciation. Holy Mother of God. And on Lazarus Saturday, believers can eat a little fish caviar.

Peter's Fast (Apostolic) was previously announced by the Fast of Pentecost. This fast should be observed in memory of the apostles Peter and Paul, who accepted the grace of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and prepared themselves through fasting and frantic prayer for the worldwide and great preaching of the Gospel.

This fast begins on Monday of the Week of All Saints (a week after the Feast of the Holy Trinity), and ends on July 12. The duration of this fast may vary, as it depends on the day of Easter.

Peter's Fast is considered less strict compared to Great Lent:

— food without oil is provided on Mondays;

- on Tuesdays, Thursdays, as well as Saturdays and Sundays, it is allowed to eat fish, cereals, vegetable oil and mushrooms.

— dry eating is established on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Assumption Fast is dedicated to the Assumption Mother of God. By observing this fast, we follow the example of the Mother of God Herself, for before Her death she remained in the strictest fasting and tireless prayers.

Each of us has turned to the Mother of God Herself for help more than once in our lives, which means we should all honor Her and fast during the Dormition Fast.

The fast dedicated to the Mother of God is short-lived; it lasts only two weeks (from the 14th to the 27th of August). This fast implies strict abstinence and allows:

— dry eating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays;

- hot food without oil on Tuesdays and Thursdays;

- food with butter only on Saturdays and Sundays.

On the Transfiguration of the Lord and on the Assumption (if it falls on Wednesday or Friday), eating fish is allowed.

The Nativity Fast is dedicated to the Nativity of Christ. It begins on November 28 and ends on January 6. We need this fast to cleanse our souls before the great birthday of our Savior.

The rules for eating during this fast until December 19 (St. Nicholas Day) coincide with the rules for the Apostolic Fast.

From December 20 to January 1, believers are allowed to:

- eat hot food without oil on Mondays;

- add oil to food on Tuesdays and Thursdays;

- stick to dry eating on Wednesdays and Fridays;

- eat fish on Saturdays and Sundays.

- dry eating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays;

- hot food without oil on Tuesdays and Thursdays;

- adding oil to food on Saturdays and Sundays.

On Christmas Eve, the first meal is allowed only after the first star appears in the sky.

One-day fasts of the Orthodox Church.

January 18 – Epiphany Christmas Eve. Fasting serves as preparation for purification and sanctification with water during the celebration of Epiphany.

September 11 – Beheading of John the Baptist . Fasting serves as a reminder of the death of the prophet John.

September 27— Exaltation of the Holy Cross . Fasting serves as a reminder of the suffering that the Savior endured on the cross for the sake of our universal salvation.

Posts on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year should also be days of fasting, for these days are a reminder of our Savior. On Wednesday he was basely betrayed by Judas, and on Friday he was crucified.

Peace to you, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!

Z and 48 days before Easter the blessed time of Lent begins. Its goal is the spiritual preparation of believers for the meeting of the great holiday - the Bright Resurrection of Christ!

Lent is forty days, the so-called Great Lent. He is an image of the forty-day fast of Jesus Christ in the desert. The next eight days - Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and six days of Holy Week - are dedicated to the remembrance of the Passion of the Savior and the events immediately preceding them - the Resurrection righteous Lazarus from Bethany, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the last sermons of Jesus Christ in the temple, the Last Supper. On the one hand, they crown Lent, and on the other hand, they precede Christian Easter.

During Lent, church regulations prohibit the consumption of animal products - meat, milk, eggs, fish. In addition, from Monday to Friday, unless there is a holiday on these days, vegetable oil is not consumed. Fish is allowed only twice - on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7) and on Palm Sunday. Caviar is allowed on Lazarus Saturday. On the remaining Saturdays and Sundays of Lent, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and on the days of some especially revered saints (for example, the forty Martyrs of Sebaste - March 22, St. Gregory the Dvoeslov - March 25), vegetable oil is allowed. The first day of fasting - Clean Monday - and the penultimate day - Great Friday (Good Friday) - are recommended to be spent without food at all.

The custom of abstaining from certain types of food to cleanse the soul and body was known back in the Old Testament. Thus, people who dedicated part of their lives to God took a vow of Naziritehood, which, among other things, included abstaining from drinking wine and other stimulating drinks. Food restrictions and cessation of entertainment were a symbol of sorrow and repentance. The Ninevites fasted when they learned about the impending destruction of their city. As a sign of sadness for the deceased, relatives and friends sometimes did not eat for several days. John the Baptist, having retired into the desert, ate only wild honey and locusts - a type of locust (which was allowed by the Law).

The Old Testament custom received special development in the Christian Church. The Savior Himself warned: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this life...” (Luke 21:34). For Christians, bodily abstinence serves to affirm the priority of spiritual values ​​over physical ones. In particular, so that the satisfaction of the natural human need for food, given to man by his Creator, does not turn into serving his own belly. A person does not live in order to eat, but eats in order to live - fasting reminds us of this simple truth.

It is not hunger or abstinence from certain types of food that is the main purpose of fasting. Its purpose is to morally elevate a person. And bodily cleansing must necessarily be combined with a softening of character and transformation of the soul. Fasting is unthinkable without feats of mercy and love.

“What is the benefit when we fast without good deeds? If someone else says: “I fasted throughout Lent,” you say: “I had an enemy and was reconciled, I had the habit of slander and left it...” For sailors, there is no benefit in sailing across a large expanse of sea; but it is useful for them when they arrive with cargo and many goods. And there is no benefit for us from fasting when we spend it simply, somehow... If we fast, abstaining only from food, then after forty days the fast ends. And if we abstain from sins, then even after this fast, it will still continue, and we will receive constant benefit from it...” - St. John Chrysostom wrote about fasting in one of his conversations on Holy Pentecost.

Church services echo him: “True fasting is the removal of evil, curbing the tongue, putting aside anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies, and perjury.” They contain the call: “Let us dissolve every union of unrighteousness, we will tear apart every unrighteous depredation... we will give bread to the hungry, we will bring the bloodless beggars into their homes” (stichera for the first week of Lent).

In the Middle Ages, even state legislation in the East and West patronized fasting. During the days of Great Lent, all kinds of spectacles, baths, games were closed, the trade in meat was stopped, shops were closed, except for those selling essential items, legal proceedings were suspended; Charity matters coincided with this time. Slave owners freed slaves from work and often set them free.

It is generally accepted that reasonable abstinence is beneficial for the human body. On the contrary, excess is the cause of many diseases. Thus, fasting is beneficial for health. At the same time, the Church eases its burdens for pregnant women, the sick, the elderly, and people engaged in hard work.

This is what one of the spiritual writers of the 20th century N.E. Pestov advises: “In those cases when, due to illness or a large shortage of food, a Christian cannot observe the usual norms of fasting, then let him do everything he can in this regard. For example, he will refuse all entertainment, sweets and tasty dishes, and will fast at least on Wednesday and Friday. If a Christian, due to old age or ill health, cannot refuse fast food, then he can at least limit it somewhat on fasting days... In general, church regulations cannot be treated formally and, while monitoring the exact implementation of the rules, no exceptions can be made from the latter. We must also remember the words of the Lord that “the Sabbath is for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Considering the need, it is possible to make concessions and exceptions for fasting even in the case of a sick and weak body or advanced age. The Holy Apostle Paul writes to his disciple Timothy: “From now on, drink more than just water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Tim. 5:23).” (N. E. Pestov. “The Path to Perfect Joy.”)

Bishop Herman explains: “Exhaustion is a sign of incorrect fasting. It is as harmful as satiety. And the great elders ate soup with butter in the first week of Lent. There is no point in crucifying sick flesh, but must be supported.” (N. E. Pestov. “The Path to Perfect Joy.”)

As we see, contrary to popular belief, exhaustion of the body is alien to the Orthodox understanding of fasting. For fasting to improve health, it is not enough just to give up food that is “difficult” for digestion - meat, fats. It is necessary to exclude any abuse - spices, spicy, salty, sour, sweet, fried foods. What is important here is a balanced diet and its diversity, consumption sufficient quantity vitamins, primarily in fresh vegetables and fruits. There should be no overeating.

Russia has long had a rich tradition of the Lenten table. “Domostroy” (16th century) gives the following list of Lenten dishes: “Pea noodles, millet with poppy seed oil, whole peas and split peas, double cabbage soup, pancakes and onions, and levashniki, and hearth pies with poppy seeds, and jelly, and sweet and fresh. And what days will there be sweets: slices of watermelon and melons in molasses, apples in molasses, pears in molasses, cherries, mazuni with ginger, with saffron, with pepper, molasses with ginger, with saffron, with pepper, honey and leaven drinks, plain with raisins and millet, cones, marshmallows of various berries, radish in molasses. On Saturdays and Sundays during Lent they serve: flour - kbaniki, dried saffron milk caps, saffron milk caps in oil, fried pies with millet, elm and peas, pancakes with poppy milk and butter.”

In 1667, on Wednesday of the first week of Lent, the Holy Patriarch was served: “chet bread, papashnik, sweet broth with caraway seeds and berries, pepper and saffron, horseradish, mushrooms, trampled cold cabbage, cold Zobanets peas, cranberry jelly with honey, grated porridge with poppy juice, etc. On the same day the following were sent to the patriarch: a cup of Romanea, a cup of Rensky, a cup of Malvasia, a loaf of bread, a strip of watermelon, a pot of molasses with ginger, a pot of mazuni with ginger, three cones of kernels.”

Get an idea about Lenten table Residents of Russian cities at the beginning of the 20th century can remember from the memoirs of the hero of I. Shmelev’s novel “The Summer of the Lord”: “The rooms are quiet and deserted, smelling of a sacred smell. In the hallway, in front of the reddish icon of the Crucifixion, very old, from the late great-grandmother... they lit a Lenten, bare glass lamp, and now it will burn unquenchably until Easter. When my father lights it - on Saturdays he lights all the lamps himself - he always hums pleasantly and sadly: “We worship Your Cross, Master” - and I sing the wonderful after him: “And we glorify Your holy Resurrection!” Joyful things beat in my soul to the point of tears and shine in these sad days of Lent...

In the hallway there are bowls with yellow pickled cucumbers with dill umbrellas stuck in them, and with chopped cabbage, sour, thickly sprinkled with anise... I grab pinches - how crunchy it is! And I promise myself not to fast throughout Lent. Why eat something modest that destroys the soul, if everything is already delicious? They will cook compote and make potato cutlets with prunes and sear, peas, poppy seed bread with beautiful curls of sugar poppy seeds, pink bagels, “crosses” on Krestopoklonnaya... there will be frozen cranberries with sugar, jellied nuts, candied almonds, soaked peas, bagels and saits, jug raisins, rowan pastille, lean sugar - lemon, raspberry, with oranges inside, halva... And fried buckwheat porridge with onions, wash down with kvass! And Lenten pies with milk mushrooms, and buckwheat pancakes with onions on Saturdays... and kutya with marmalade on the first Saturday, some kind of “kolivo”! A almond milk with white jelly, and cranberry jelly with vanilla, and... the great kulebyaka for the Annunciation, with elm, with sturgeon! And kalya, extraordinary kalya, with pieces of blue caviar, with pickled cucumbers... and pickled apples on Sundays, and melted, sweet-sweet “Ryazan”... and “sinners”, with hemp oil, with a crispy crust, with a warm emptiness inside!. Is it really possible that it will be so lean where everyone leaves this life? Why is everyone so boring? After all, everything is different, and there is much, so much joy. Today they will deliver the first ice and start filling the cellars - the whole yard will be filled up. Let's go to the "Lenten market", where there is a groan, the great mushroom market, where I have never been ... "

The leisurely, quiet procession of Lent begins with Clean Monday. In Rus', the attitude towards fasting was reverent and touching; it was considered as a spiritual benefit. The Russian people were gladly ready to make the sacrifice of abstinence to Christ.

It is interesting to note that the first day of Orthodox Lent is called Clean Monday, while the first day of Catholic Lent is called Ash Wednesday. This is due to different attitudes towards fasting in the East and in the West. Western European Christians, entering into fasting, sprinkled ashes on their heads, tore their clothes, and rolled in road dust and garbage in order to more clearly express their repentance, sorrowful feelings, and their suffering for sins. According to Russian traditions, on the contrary, on the first day of fasting it was necessary to wash in the bathhouse, put on clean clothes, and also clean the house. Fasting was celebrated in purity, as a holiday of the soul in fulfillment of the words of the Savior: “When you fast, wash your face and anoint your head.” In addition, on Monday, food was usually not prepared; they ate only the bread left over from Sunday (“dry eating”), and therefore the dinner table remained “clean.” According to strict monastery regulations, on this day one was supposed to eat only prosphora with water.

During Lent, services remember the history of the fall and salvation of the human race. By reviving before the mind's eye the sad pictures of humanity's wanderings “in a foreign land” along the “paths of destruction,” the Church makes the bitterness of the fruits of sin more clearly felt. In the first four days, at Great Compline, the canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read. It lists all the most important Old Testament and Gospel events. Listening to the words of the canon, a Christian, as it were, relives the life of the whole world and relates it to his own life. And from the depths of the soul, from the depths of the fall, a repentant, tearful voice rises: “Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!”

On Saturday of the first week of Lent, the memory of the warrior Great Martyr Theodore Tiron, who was burned in 306 for professing the Christian faith, is celebrated. For his feat, the saint was given the grace to strengthen during fasting and protect from defilement through food. Emperor Julian the Apostate in 362, wishing to outrage Christians, ordered that during the first week of Great Lent all products in the markets of Constantinople be secretly sprinkled with blood sacrificed to idols. Saint Theodore, appearing in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, ordered him to announce to Christians that they should not buy anything in the markets, but should eat boiled wheat with honey - kolivo (kutya). In memory of this event, the first Saturday of Lent is dedicated to St. Theodore, and the day before, on Friday, after the liturgy, the canon of St. Theodore Tiron and is blessed kolivo. Kolivo is boiled wheat, rice or barley with raisins, honey, poppy seeds. It is not only Lenten dish, which is eaten during Lent and on Christmas Eve, but also as a memorial dish brought to church in memory of the deceased.

A reminder of death, of the corruption of earthly existence, strengthens man’s search for true Life. Such reminders are parenting days, which fall on the second, third and fourth Saturdays of Lent. Since the usual commemoration of the dead is not performed during the services of Great Lent, it is moved to the three indicated Saturdays. Praying for the dead, “seeing their coffin,” a person also thinks about his inevitable end, when he appears alone before the throne of the Almighty. What will he say then? Will it come out in the “resurrection of life” or in the “resurrection of condemnation”?

The third Sunday of Lent is dedicated to the Cross of the Lord. On this day he is worshiped. “On Saturday of the third week of Lent we bake “crosses”: “Cross Worship” is suitable. “Cross” is a special cookie, with an almond flavor, crumbly and sweet, where the cross-sections of the “cross” lie - raspberries from jam are pressed in, as if nailed down with nails. This is how they have been baking since time immemorial, even before Ustinya’s great-grandmother, as a consolation for Lent. Gorkin instructed me like this: “Our Orthodox faith, Russian..., my dear, it is the best, the most cheerful!” And it relieves the weak, it enlightens despondency and brings joy to the little ones. And this is the absolute truth. Even though it’s Lent for you, it’s still a relief for the soul, “crosses.” (I. A. Shmelev. “The Summer of the Lord.”)

In different places in Russia, cross cookies were prepared in different ways. It could be round, with a cross pattern on the surface, or in the form of a four-pointed “Korsun” cross. It was decorated with raisins and candied fruits, and sometimes, to the delight of the children, money was baked into one of these cookies.

There was another holiday of Lent, for which intricate cookies were prepared. This is the day of the forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March 22). Since time immemorial in Russia it has been considered the day of arrival of larks. And the cookies were shaped like little birds. The most widely known are two forms of “larks”. In the first case, a small cake of dough 0.5-1 cm thick was prepared, one edge was pinched to form a nose, and the other edge was cut to form wings and a straightened tail. Two raisins were placed near the nose - eyes. In the second case, a flagellum was rolled out of the dough, tied in a knot, one end was cut, as if a straightened tail, and the “nose” was pinched from the other and decorated with raisins-eyes.

In the fifth week, at Matins on Thursday, the Great Canon of St. Andrei Kritsky, this time in full. Reading it is combined with reading the life of the Venerable Mary of Egypt. This service is called the Great Station. Mary of Egypt, who was at first a great sinner, and then became a great ascetic, is an example of human repentance and an example of God’s inexhaustible mercy. The fifth Sunday of Lent is dedicated to her.

At Matins on the fifth Saturday of Lent, the Akathist to the Mother of God (Praise to the Mother of God) is read. The celebration of the Fifth Saturday in honor of the Mother of God arose in ancient times, when any holidays were canceled on weekdays of Lent. Since the Annunciation, which always falls on April 7, could not be properly celebrated, this celebration was moved to the fifth Saturday of Lent. Over time, the day of the Annunciation began to be celebrated, without rescheduling, no matter what day of the week it fell on, but the custom of glorifying the Mother of God in the fifth week remained.

On Friday, in the sixth week, Lent proper ends. The next day, the resurrection of the righteous Lazarus is remembered, and although this is Saturday, the entire service is Sunday. “Assuring the general resurrection before Your passion, You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God” (i.e., “Before Your suffering, desiring to convince everyone of the general resurrection, You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God”) - this is how it is sung in the troparion of the holiday . This foreshadowing of the resurrection is also reflected in the festive meal - eating caviar is allowed at it. Just as a fish develops from a small egg, which looks more like dead earth, so the story of Lazarus, who, by the will of Christ, emerged from the tomb on the fourth day after death, is a guarantee that every person will be resurrected. The Resurrection of Lazarus crowns the Great Pentecost; the Resurrection of Lazarus serves as a prologue to the Resurrection of Christ. The Lord solemnly enters the open gates of Jerusalem to sacrifice Himself, thereby revealing the highest perfect love that conquers death. On the sixth Sunday of Lent, the twelfth holiday is celebrated - the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Following the example of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who cut off tree branches and met Christ with palm leaves in their hands, Orthodox Christians meet their Lord with willow branches. The first blossoming flowers, white and fluffy, herald the resurrection of nature, the blossoming of love in human souls, the Resurrection of the Savior and the coming resurrection of the dead, but the red color of the branches reminds us that the miracle of resurrection is accomplished by the Blood of the Lord through great sorrow, suffering and death. In honor of the great holiday, wine, vegetable oil and fish are allowed at the meal.

Co next day Passion Week begins - the remembrance of the Passion of the Lord.

On Holy Thursday the Church remembers last supper Jesus Christ when He and His disciples ate the Easter meal. This last meal of Christ on the eve of His suffering is of the greatest significance for Christian doctrine, is the central point around which all Christian worship was subsequently shaped.

The annual holiday of the Old Testament Passover, which Christ, like all Jews, celebrated, was dedicated to a significant event from ancient history Jews - exodus from Egypt. According to the Bible, God sent nine terrible disasters to the Egyptians to force them to release the Jews languishing in slavery. But the Egyptian king - Pharaoh - remained adamant. Then the last tenth punishment took place - the angel of death walked through the land of Egypt in one night and struck the firstborn in all houses - from the palace of the pharaoh to the dwelling of a slave. At the command of God, that night each Jewish family slaughtered a lamb and smeared its blood on the doorposts, and death, punishing the Egyptians, passed the Jewish houses. This is where the word “passover” comes from, which in Hebrew means “passing by” or “mercy.” After this, the frightened Pharaoh allowed the Jews to leave Egypt.

Since then, every year, by the evening of the 14th day of the spring month of Nisan (Aviv), every Israeli was obliged to perform the Passover ritual, otherwise he would be excommunicated from the people of God. A lamb was sacrificed, after which the Easter meal was served in the evening with the family. It opened with a cup of wine, before which the father of the family proclaimed thanksgiving to God, saying: “Blessed is the Lord our God, the King of the world, who created the fruit of the vine.” Having said this, he drank from the cup, as did everyone else. Then they ate bitter herbs, symbolizing the bitter times of slavery. Then one of the younger ones asked: “What does all this mean?” And then the head of the family explained the rituals of Passover and the history of the exodus. At the same time, Psalms 113 and 114 were sung. Then the second Passover cup passed from hand to hand, and it was the turn of unleavened bread. Unleavened bread was a reminder that the Jews, hastily leaving Egypt, did not even have time to prepare yeast dough and they took only unleavened cakes for the journey - unleavened bread. The Feast of Passover therefore had a second name - the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Starting from Nisan 14, there was to be no leavened bread in any Jewish home; its remains were burned, and during the following week only unleavened bread could be eaten.

The leader of the Passover meal took one of the unleavened breads, broke it into two halves and, placing them on the other bread, said: “Blessed is our Lord, the King of the world, who brought forth bread from the earth.” Then the bread was divided among those present. Finally, they started on the lamb itself, baked on coals. This lamb was also called the Passover. They ate it without breaking bones. At Easter, other dishes were served, among which was a third common cup of wine, called the “cup of blessing,” followed by four psalms sung: from 114 to 117. In conclusion, they drank the last, fourth cup. In all these bowls wine was mixed with water.

A detailed description of Easter customs allows us to better imagine the setting of the Last Supper of the Lord. The enemies of Christ were carefully watching to seize Him when He was alone with the disciples. Easter night was a very convenient moment for this. Therefore, even to the apostles, among whom there was a traitor, the Lord did not tell the place where He would eat Easter. At His command, the apostles Peter and John found a room with an unknown person and there they prepared everything that was required by law. Hence the meal itself received the name The Last Supper.

During the Last Supper, the required rituals were performed. The disciples reverently listened to the last instructions of the Savior. Only Judas, who was planning to betray Him, withdrew to inform the high priests where it would be more convenient to seize Christ.

When the meal came to an end, Christ, taking bread, blessed, broke and gave it to the disciples with the words: “Take, eat, this is My Body.” It was time for the last cup of wine. Christ, taking the cup, gave thanks to God and gave it to the disciples, saying: “This is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” And everyone drank from it. At the same time, Christ commanded to do all the same in memory of Him.

At the end of the meal, everyone, singing psalms, moved to the Garden of Gethsemane. Christ walked towards the cup of suffering, the horror of betrayal, bullying, slander and the shameful death penalty...

From the Last Supper originates the main Christian Sacrament - the Sacrament of the Eucharist (thanksgiving) - the central part of Christian worship. Remembering the words of Christ, the first Christians, like the apostles, gathered every day in the evening for a common meal. They brought with them whatever food they had to share among everyone. These common meals were called the love supper (or agape). IN general outline they were reminiscent of the Last Supper of Christ with the apostles. During the meal, a prayer of thanksgiving was said, during which, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, bread and wine mysteriously became the Body and Blood of the Lord. The meal was combined with common communion - eating the Body and Blood.

The agape order is described in many works of early Christian literature. One of the oldest images of them is shown on a 3rd century fresco in the Roman catacombs of Priscilla. For a long time these meals were the only strictly Christian worship. Subsequently, agapes were lost, and the Sacrament of the Eucharist entered the modern liturgy.

Although every liturgy reminds Christians of the Last Supper, the liturgy of Holy Thursday is especially so. On this day, all Orthodox Christians strive to receive communion whenever possible. Even the severity of fasting is somewhat weakened - drinking wine and vegetable oil. The joy of communion with the Lord makes it possible to be a participant in His suffering on Good Friday and His triumph on Easter Sunday.

In the evening on Maundy Thursday, the so-called Twelve Gospels are read, which tell the whole story of Christ’s suffering: His betrayal into the hands of the high priests and Pharisees, the trial of the procurator Pilate, crucifixion, death and burial. During this service, believers stand with lit candles, which they then take home and, according to the old custom, make the sign of the cross on the doorposts with the Holy Thursday fire. In pious families, there is a custom to preserve the Thursday fire in lamps until Easter.

On Good Friday the shroud is taken out in the church. The word "shroud" means "plate", i.e. a piece of matter. With such a cloth Saint Joseph wrapped the Body of Christ. The shroud, which is carried out in the church, depicts the image of the Savior laid in the tomb. On the occasion of the great sorrow associated with the remembrance of the death of Christ, nothing is supposed to be eaten on Good Friday.

In the evening, the rite of burial of Christ is performed. At the end, to the sad singing of the choir “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us,” the shroud is carried around the church, which is a symbol of Christ’s descent into hell.

Finally, Holy Saturday arrives - the eve of the great feast of the Resurrection of Christ. Christ still rests in the tomb, but the hour of His victory over death is not far off.

IN ancient times Christians never left the church after the Saturday liturgy. In memory of this, the custom of consecrating the bread and wine that Christians ate on this day has been preserved. During the service, priests change their black Lenten vestments to white Easter vestments. The final preparations are being completed in the houses - Easter cakes are being baked, eggs are being painted. Everything is filled with anxious anticipation of the Holiday.

– a film about the history of Lent

Why does the food restriction last eight weeks, and Great Lent consists of six, what is each week of Lent dedicated to, and how did it happen that we read the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrei Kritsky twice, says Ilya KRASOVITSKY, senior lecturer at the Department of Practical Theology of PSTGU:

The structure of Great Lent is formed primarily by its Sundays - “weeks”, in the terminology of liturgical books. Their order is as follows: Triumph of Orthodoxy, St. Gregory Palamas, Veneration of the Cross, John Climacus, Mary of Egypt, Palm Sunday.

Each of them offers us its own themes, which are reflected in the liturgical texts of the Sunday itself and the entire subsequent week (in Church Slavonic - week). A week may be named after the previous Sunday - for example, the Week of the Cross after the Sunday of the Cross, the third Sunday of Lent. Each such memory has a very specific history of its occurrence, its own reasons, sometimes even seeming to be historical accidents, and, in addition, a different time of occurrence. Of course, the liturgical life of the Church could not be organized without the hand of God, and we must perceive it as a whole as a church tradition, as an experience of spiritual life in which we can participate.

To understand the structure of Lent, you need to understand how many Sundays there are. There are six of them in Lent, and the seventh Sunday is Easter. Strictly speaking, Lent lasts six weeks (weeks). Holy Week is already " Easter post", completely separate and independent, the services of which are performed according to a special scheme. These two fasts merged in ancient times. In addition, the last preparatory week, known since ancient times, is adjacent to Great Lent - cheese (Maslenitsa). A week before the start of Great Lent, we We already stop eating meat, i.e. the food restriction continues for eight weeks.

The most important strictness and liturgical feature of Lent is the absence of a daily full Liturgy, which is celebrated only on “weekends”: on Saturdays - St. John Chrysostom, on Sundays (as well as on Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday) - St. Basil the Great, which was the main festive Liturgy in ancient Constantinople. However, now the prayers of the Liturgy are read secretly and we hardly notice the difference between the two liturgical rites. On weekdays, usually on Wednesdays and Fridays, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served.

Gospel readings

The liturgical themes of the Sundays of Lent come from a variety of sources. Firstly, from the Gospel readings of the Sunday Liturgy. And, interestingly, the texts of these readings and the Sunday services themselves are usually not thematically related. How did this happen? In the 9th century, after the victory over iconoclasm, a significant liturgical reform took place in Byzantium, affecting many aspects of liturgical life. In particular, the system of Gospel readings at the Liturgy has changed, but the services themselves have remained the same - more appropriate ancient system Gospel readings. For example, on the second Sunday of Lent (St. Gregory Palamas), an excerpt from the Gospel of Mark about the healing of the paralytic is read, and the texts of the service itself are stichera, troparia of the canon, and other hymns in addition to the theme of St. Gregory, are dedicated to the parable of the prodigal son, since until the 9th century this particular passage was read at the Sunday Liturgy. Now the reading of this parable has been postponed to one of the preparatory weeks, but the service has remained in its old place. The first Sunday of Lent has an even more complex, one might even say confusing, thematic structure. The Gospel of John is read about the calling of the first apostles - Andrew, Philip, Peter and Nathanael, and the service itself is dedicated partly to the Triumph of Orthodoxy (that is, the victory over the iconoclasts), partly to the memory of the prophets, since in ancient Constantinople, before the holiday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy was fixed in the calendar, Sunday of Lent celebrated the memory of the prophets.

The system of Gospel readings until the 9th century was harmonious and logical: the first Sunday of Lent is about alms and forgiveness, the second is the parable of the prodigal son, the third is the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, the fourth is the parable of the Merciful Samaritan, the fifth is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, sixth - The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. The last reading is dedicated to the holiday and has never changed. All these parables, as they now say, raise “problematic” topics. That is, through them the Church shows us which path for a Christian is salutary and which is disastrous. Contrasting are the rich man and Lazarus, the merciful Samaritan and the careless priest, the prodigal son and the respectable one, the tax collector and the Pharisee. We hear chants on the themes of these ancient Gospel readings at our church services during the period of Great Lent.

Sunday Topics

Let's take a closer look historical reasons the emergence of certain liturgical themes for the Sundays of Lent.
The first two Sundays are dedicated to the history of the establishment of Orthodox dogmas. First Sunday - Triumph of Orthodoxy. This memory was established in honor of the final victory over the terrible heresy that worried the Church for more than a century - iconoclasm and is associated with the establishment of Orthodoxy in 843. The second Sunday is dedicated to another important historical event, also the victory over heresy and is associated with the name St. Gregory Palamas. Heretics taught that Divine energies (Divine grace) are of created origin, that is, created by God. This is heresy. The Orthodox teaching is that the Divine energies are God Himself, not in His Essence, which is unknowable, but in the way we see, hear, feel Him. Grace is God Himself in His energies. He led the victory over the heresy of St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, in the 14th century. We can say that the second Sunday of Lent is the second Triumph of Orthodoxy.

Third Sunday - Cross veneration- historically associated with the catechetical system. Lent is not only preparation for Easter; previously it was also preparation for baptism.

In ancient times, baptism was not a private matter between the person and the priest who baptized him. This was a church-wide matter, a matter of the entire community. People were baptized in the ancient Church only after a long course of catechism, which could last up to three years. And this most important event in the life of the community - the arrival of new members into it - was timed to coincide with the main church holiday- Easter. In the minds of Christians of the first millennium, Easter and the Sacrament of Baptism were closely connected, and preparation for Easter coincided with preparation for the baptism of a large group of new members of the community. Lent was the final and most intensive stage of training in catechetical schools. Worship of the Cross is associated not only with historical event- by transferring a particle of the Life-giving Cross to one or another city, and, above all, with the announcement. The cross was brought out specifically for the catechumens, so that they could bow to it, kiss it and strengthen themselves at the last and most important stage of preparation for receiving the great Sacrament. Of course, along with the catechumens, the whole Church worshiped the Cross.

Over time, the announcement system was reduced. There were simply no unbaptized adults left in the Byzantine Empire. But Lent, which was formed partly thanks to this system, often reminds us of it. For example, Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts Almost everything is built from catechetical elements: the Old Testament readings, the blessing given by the priest, concern primarily the catechumens. “The Light of Christ enlightens everyone!” The word "enlightens" is key here. The catechumens are also associated with the singing of the great prokemena “Yes, my prayer will be corrected.” And, of course, the litanies that are read throughout Lent are about the catechumens, and in the second half about the enlightened. Those who are enlightened are those who will be baptized this year. The litany for the enlightened begins strictly in the second half of Lent. And not on Sunday, but from Wednesday, that is, clearly from the middle. The readings at the sixth hour and the readings at Vespers are also connected with the system of catechumens.

The week of veneration of the cross is average. The Lenten Triodion devotes many poetic images to her. It is said, for example, that this establishment is similar to how tired travelers walk along some very difficult path and suddenly on the way they meet a tree that provides shade. They rest in its shadow and with new strength easily continue their journey. “So now, in the time of fasting and the sorrowful path and feat, the Father of the Life-Giving Cross is planted in the midst of the saints, giving us weakness and refreshment.”...

The fourth and fifth Sundays of Great Lent are dedicated to the memory of the saints - Mary of Egypt and John Climacus. Where did they come from? Everything is very simple here. Before the advent of the Jerusalem Rule, and the Russian Orthodox Church has lived and served according to the Jerusalem Rule since the 15th century, no saints were commemorated on the weekdays of Lent. When Great Lent took shape, church calendar, from a modern point of view, was almost empty, the memory of saints was a rare occurrence. Why were holidays not celebrated on weekdays of fasting? For a very simple reason - it is not a Lenten thing to celebrate the memory of saints, when you need to cry about your sins and indulge in ascetic deeds. But the memory of saints is for another time. And secondly, and even more important, the Liturgy is not served on weekdays of Lent. And what kind of memory of a saint is this when the Liturgy is not served? Therefore, the memory of the few saints that did happen was moved to Saturdays and Sundays. The calendar commemorations of Mary of Egypt and John Climacus fall in the month of April. They were moved, and they were fixed on the last Sundays of Lent.

Lenten Saturdays

Saturdays of Lent are also special days. First Saturday - memory St. Fedora Tiron, rescheduled like some others. Second, third, fourth Saturdays - parental when the remembrance of the dead is performed. But the fifth Saturday is especially interesting - Saturday Akathist or Praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This day's service is unlike any other. There are several reasons for establishing this holiday. One of them is that the celebration was established in honor of the deliverance of Constantinople from the invasions of the Persians and Arabs in the 7th century through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, many texts are dedicated to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is because before the celebration of the Annunciation was fixed on April 7, this holiday was moved to the fifth Saturday of Lent.

Finally, we need to mention one more day of St. Pentecostals, which cannot be passed by. This is Thursday of the fifth week of Lent - standing of St. Mary of Egypt. On this day, the Great Penitential Canon of St. is read in full. Andrey Kritsky. The reading of the canon was fixed on the day of remembrance of the earthquake that occurred in the 4th or 5th century in the East. The day of remembrance of this earthquake fit very organically into the structure of Lent. How should you remember a natural disaster? - With repentance. Over time, they forgot about the earthquake, but the reading of the canon remained. On this day, in addition to the Great Canon, the life of St. Mary of Egypt as edifying reading. In addition to the catechetical word of St. John Chrysostom for Easter and the Life of St. Mary, no other edifying readings have survived in modern practice.

In the first week, the Great Canon is divided into 4 parts, and in the fifth the entire canon is read in one go. One can see a certain meaning in this. In the first week, the canon is read in parts, “for acceleration,” and in the second half of Lent, the reading is repeated, taking into account the fact that the work of fasting and prayer has already become habitual, people have “trained”, become stronger and more resilient.

Prepared by Ekaterina STEPANOVA

Lent is the most important and strictest among the fasts. It begins seven weeks before the holiday of Holy Easter and consists of Lent (forty days) and Holy Week (the week before Easter).

LENT

“What is Lent? He is a precious gift to us from our Savior, Who Himself fasted for forty days and nights, neither eating nor drinking; a gift truly precious for all those seeking salvation, as a mortifier of spiritual passions. By His word and example, the Lord legitimized it to His followers,” says the holy righteous John of Kronstadt.

Lent is the most important and strictest among the fasts. It begins seven weeks before the holiday of Holy Easter and consists of Lent (forty days) and Holy Week (the week before Easter).

Pentecost was established in imitation of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who fasted in the desert for forty days, and Holy Week was established in remembrance of the last days of His earthly life, suffering, death and burial. Thus, the total continuation of Lent together with Holy Week is 48 days.

Lent is preceded by three weeks, during which the Holy Church begins to spiritually prepare for it. First preparatory week – “The Week of the Publican and the Pharisee”- is called “continuous week” because there is no fasting at meals.

On Sunday, during the Liturgy, the Gospel “About the Publican and the Pharisee” is read (Luke 18:10-14). With this parable, the Church teaches us true humility and repentance, without which fasting will be fruitless. Starting from this week and until the fifth week of Great Lent, during the all-night vigil, after reading the Gospel, a prayer is sung, which is listened to on bended knees: “Open the doors of repentance for me...”

In the second preparatory week - “The Week of the Prodigal Son”, Wednesday and Friday are fasting. On Sunday at the Liturgy, the parable from the Gospel “About the Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11-32) is read, which calls on the lost to repent and return to the Lord, with hope for His mercy.

In this week, as well as in the two weeks following it, at the all-night vigil after polyeleos, the 136th psalm is sung: “On the rivers of Babylon, there is a sad man and a mourner...” He describes the suffering of the Jews in Babylonian captivity and the grief for the lost fatherland, figuratively , speaking about our sinful captivity and that we must strive for our spiritual homeland - the Heavenly Kingdom.

The third preparatory week is called “meat week”, or “cheese week”, and popularly called “Maslenitsa”. This week you can no longer eat meat. Wednesday and Friday are not fasting; you are allowed to eat milk, eggs, fish, cheese, and butter. According to the old Russian custom, pancakes are baked on Maslenitsa. The Sunday of “meat-eating week,” according to the Gospel reading, is called “The Week of the Last Judgment” (Matthew 25:31-46). With this reading, the Church calls sinners to repent and do good deeds, reminding us that we will have to answer for all sins. With the beginning of this week, those who are married are ordered to abstain from marital relations.

The last Sunday before Lent is called “cheese empty”: it ends the eating of eggs and dairy products.

At the Liturgy, the Gospel is read with a part from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6: 14-21), which speaks of forgiveness of offenses to our neighbors, without which we cannot receive forgiveness of sins from the Heavenly Father; about fasting and about collecting heavenly treasures.

In accordance with this Gospel reading, Christians on this day ask each other for forgiveness for the offenses caused and strive to be reconciled with everyone. That's why it's usually called Sunday “Forgiveness Sunday”.

The first and last (Holy) weeks of Great Lent are distinguished by their severity, and their services by their duration.
This is a time of special repentance and deepest prayers. Believers, as a rule, attend daily services during these weeks.

According to the charter, on Monday and Tuesday of the first week the highest degree of fasting is established - complete abstinence from food; The first eating of food is allowed only on Wednesday, and the second time - on Friday after the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
These days, dry eating is prescribed, that is, food without oil.

Of course, for the weak, sick, elderly people, pregnant and lactating women, these requirements, with the blessing of the confessor, are relaxed. Starting from Saturday of the first week, you can eat lean food.

Fish is allowed only twice during the entire fast: on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7), if the holiday does not fall on Holy Week, and on the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday). On Lazarus Saturday (the Saturday before Palm Sunday) fish caviar is allowed. If you strictly follow the regulations, then vegetable oil is allowed only on Saturdays (except for the Saturday of Holy Week) and Sundays.

FEATURES OF LENTEN SERVICES– celebration of liturgies only on Saturdays and Sundays; Liturgy is not celebrated on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesdays and Fridays the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated.

The very name of this service suggests that it involves communion with the Holy Gifts, consecrated on the previous Sunday.

In the temple, both the black vestments and the special Lenten chanting of chants call for repentance and change in sinful life. The prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian “Lord and Master of my life...” is constantly heard, which all those praying bow to the ground.

The first four days of Lent in the evening on Orthodox churches the great penitential canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read - an inspired work poured out from the depths of a contrite heart. Orthodox people always try not to miss these services, which are amazing in their impact on the soul.

On Friday of the first week after the liturgy, the consecration of “koliv” (boiled wheat with honey) takes place in memory of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Tiron. This saint appeared in a dream to the Bishop of Antioch, Eudoxius. He revealed to him the secret order of Emperor Julian the Apostate to sprinkle the blood of animals sacrificed to idols on all food supplies and ordered him not to buy anything at the market for a week, but to eat koliv.

The first week of Lent is dedicated to the Triumph of Orthodoxy. This celebration was established on the occasion of the final victory of the Holy Church over the iconoclastic heresy. On this day, after the liturgy, a special rite is performed in the church - the rite of the triumph of Orthodoxy. With this rite, the Church anathematizes, that is, excommunicates heretics, enemies of Orthodoxy, from unity with itself, and glorifies its defenders.

The second week honors the memory of St. Gregory Palamas. He is known as an exposer of the heresy of Barlaam, who rejected the Orthodox teaching about the uncreated light.

The third week of Lent is the Worship of the Cross. This week the Holy Cross of the Lord is glorified. For worship and spiritual reinforcement of those undergoing the feat of fasting, the Cross is taken from the altar to the middle of the temple. The week following the Week of the Cross has the same name, and is also called the Week of the Cross, since Lent reaches its midpoint on Wednesday.

The fourth week of Great Lent offers us a high example of fasting life in the person of St. John Climacus, author of “The Ladder.”
On Wednesday, in the fifth week, an all-night vigil is held with the reading of the Great Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete and the Life of St. Mary of Egypt. For this feature, it is called St. Andrew's station, or the station of Mary of Egypt.
On Saturday of the same week, the akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos is sung, which is established in gratitude for Her deliverance of Constantinople from enemies.

The fifth week of Great Lent is dedicated to the glorification of the exploits of the Venerable Mary of Egypt.

The Saturday before the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is called Lazarus. On this day we remember the resurrection of the righteous Lazarus, which was performed by the Lord Jesus Christ as proof of His Divine power and as a sign of our resurrection. The resurrection of Lazarus served as the reason for condemning the Savior to death, therefore, from the very first centuries of Christianity, it was established to commemorate this great miracle just before Holy Week.

The sixth week of Great Lent is called “Week Week”, in common parlance - Palm Sunday"(or Flower-bearing), and the “Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem” is celebrated. The branches of fronds (palm branches) are replaced by willows, since the willow produces buds earlier than other branches. The custom of using vaya on this holiday has its basis in the circumstances of the very event of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem.

Those praying seem to meet the invisibly coming Lord and greet Him as the Conqueror of hell and death, holding in their hands the “sign of victory” - flowering willows with lit candles.

After Palm Sunday The Great Days, or Holy Week, are coming. In the church they read the Gospel of the Passion of Christ (the Suffering of Christ), how He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, taken into custody, scourged and crucified on the Cross. The fast for this week, like the first, is strict (that is, without oil).

And on Good Friday - the day of general mourning for the crucified Savior - it is customary not to eat any food until the end of the liturgical rite of burial of the Shroud of the Lord, that is, a special veil with the image of Christ lying in the tomb. Each day of the week has a name - Maundy Monday, Maundy Tuesday, etc. This week, believers begin to prepare for Easter and try to visit church more often.

On Holy Monday, the Church remembers the drying up of the barren fig tree, from which Jesus Christ did not find true fruit, denounced it and cursed it.

This fig tree represents not only the congregation of the Jews, but also every soul that does not bear the fruit of repentance.

In addition to the story of the withering of the fig tree, the Gospel is read with the parable of the unrighteous winegrowers who killed first their master’s servants, and then his son.

The parable depicts the bitterness of the Jews, who first beat the prophets, and then crucified the Son of God who came to earth. With this parable, the Church teaches us not to be like these winegrowers, boldly violating the apostolic and Lord’s commandments and thereby continuing to crucify the Son of God with our sins.

Your content Holy Tuesday church service borrows from the parables of the ten virgins, the talents, and from the continuation of the story about the Second Coming of Christ set on Great Monday.

With these memories, the Holy Church teaches believers spiritual vigilance, especially necessary in the days of empathy with the suffering of the Lord for us; The parable of the talents encourages us to use the abilities and strengths given to us to serve the Lord, especially by works of mercy, which He accepts as personal merit to Himself: just as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me. (Matt. 25:40).

On Great Wednesday the sinner wife, who did not spare the precious world for the Lord, is glorified, and the love of money and the betrayal of Judas is condemned.

Of all the days of the last week, the one that stands out the most is Great Thursday.

This day was established by the Church in remembrance of the Last Supper, to which Jesus Christ gathered His disciples on the first day of the Jewish Passover.

At this meal, the Savior broke bread and, distributing it to the disciples, said: Take, eat: this is my Body. And, taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matt. 26, 26-28). Thus, for the first time, Jesus Christ Himself established the sacrament of Communion. Maundy Thursday is also called “Clean Thursday” - on this day Christians, having sincerely repented in confession, approach the Chalice of the Lord with a clear conscience.

On Maundy Thursday in the evening in the church the “Sequence of the holy and saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ” is celebrated. Believers are edified by hearing the complete Gospel story of the Passion of Christ, extracted from the four Gospels and divided into 12 readings.

On Holy and Great Friday there is no liturgy in remembrance of the fact that on this day the Lord Himself offered Himself as a Sacrifice. Only the Royal Hours are celebrated. Vespers is served at the third hour of the day, at the hour of the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

At the end of this service, the Shroud is taken out, before which the touching canon “On the Crucifixion of the Lord and the Weeping of the Most Holy Theotokos” is read. Those praying venerate the Shroud and the Gospel placed on top of it. The shroud is in the middle of the temple for three days, reminiscent of the three-day stay of Jesus Christ in the tomb.
(On this day it is allowed to eat food only after the completion of the rite of burial of the Shroud of the Lord.)

All services Holy Saturday represents a touching combination of opposite feelings - sorrow and joy, grief and joy, tears and bright jubilation.

At Vespers, 15 proverbs are read (texts from Holy Scripture). These proverbs contain almost all the main prophecies and prototypes Old Testament related to Jesus Christ. In the Ancient Church, during the reading of the proverbs of Holy Saturday, the sacrament of Baptism was performed so that those preparing to become Christians could taste the Easter joy along with the faithful.

After reading the Apostle, the clergy in the altar change into light clothes.
At the end of the liturgy, before the beginning of the Midnight Office, Easter cakes, Easter cottage cheese, and colored eggs are blessed.

Holy Week ends with the solemn celebration of Easter - the Holy Resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in the flesh is a prototype of the general resurrection from the dead of all people per day Last Judgment and the promise of eternal life prepared by God for the righteous.

This is a holiday for those who, fulfilling the commandments of Christ, crucify with Christ in their earthly life, waging spiritual warfare against passions and sin. Lent is the path to the day of Christ's Bright Resurrection and carries within itself the meaning of the co-crucifixion and co-resurrection of us with Christ. published

Peter's Fast, or Apostolic Fast, lasts from 8 to 42 days, depending on the year. It is dedicated in Orthodoxy to two to the supreme apostles- Saints Peter and Paul, whose feast day on July 12 always marks the end of Lent. The beginning of fasting is seven days after Trinity.

History of the post

The church establishment of Peter's Fast is mentioned in the apostolic decrees: “After Pentecost, celebrate one week, and then fast; justice requires both rejoicing after receiving gifts from God, and fasting after relieving the flesh.” The fast was established when churches were built in Constantinople and Rome in the name of the apostles Peter and Paul. The consecration of the Constantinople temple took place on the day of remembrance of the apostles on June 29 (according to the new style - July 12), and since then this day has become especially solemn both in the East and in the West, and in Orthodox Church It was established to prepare for this holiday by fasting and prayer.

Christians have observed Peter's Fast since the first centuries of the Church's existence. This fast is mentioned in the “Apostolic Tradition” of the 3rd century, left by Saint Hippolytus of Rome. Then this fast was considered “compensatory”: those who were unable to fast in Lent before Easter, “let them fast at the end of the festive series” (from Easter to Trinity), and was called the fast of Pentecost (Trinity). Later, the fast became “Petrine fast” so that Christians would liken themselves to the apostles, who, through fasting and prayer, prepared for the worldwide preaching of the Gospel.

Apostolic fasting was called in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul, who always prepared themselves for service by fasting and prayer “in labor and exhaustion, often in vigils, in hunger and thirst, often in fasting” (2 Cor. 11:27) and prepared for World preaching of the Gospel. But calling the fast “Peter and Paul” is too difficult, so they began to call it by the name of the apostle, which is pronounced first.

Why did people call Petrovka's fast the Petrovka hunger strike?

People called Petrovka’s fast simply “Petrovka” or “Petrovka-hunger strike”, since at the beginning of summer there was little left of the previous harvest, and the new one was still far away.

How to eat properly during Peter's Fast?

Petrov's fast is considered one of the easiest multi-day fasts throughout the year. According to church canons, strict fasting should be observed only on Wednesdays and Fridays. On Mondays of Peter's Fast, hot food without oil is allowed, and on all other days it is allowed to eat fish, seafood, vegetable oil and mushrooms.

On Saturdays and Sundays of this fast, as well as on the days of remembrance of some great saint or the days of a temple holiday, fish is also allowed.

Nutrition calendar for Petrov fast - 2016

• June 27, 2016, Monday
• June 28, 2016, Tuesday
• June 29, 2016, Wednesday- dry eating (strict fasting).
• June 30, 2016, Thursday
• July 1, 2016, Friday- strict post.
• July 2, 2016, Saturday
• July 3, 2016, Sunday
• July 4, 2016, Monday- hot food without oil is allowed.
• July 5, 2016, Tuesday— dishes from fish, mushrooms, food with butter are allowed.
• July 6, 2016, Wednesday- dry eating (strict fasting).
• July 7, 2016, Thursday- It is allowed to eat fish and seafood.
• July 8, 2016, Friday- strict post.
• July 9, 2016, Saturday— the church allows you to eat fish, mushrooms, and dishes with vegetable oil.
• July 10, 2016, Sunday- You are allowed to eat food with oil and fish.
• July 11, 2016, Monday- hot food without oil is allowed.
• July 12, 2016, Tuesday — Feast of Peter and Paul. Petrov's fast ends.