Christmas fast: when does it start and how does it go?

After the Eastern Rite Orthodox Church in Ukraine(OCU) carried out a calendar reform, the Christmas fast begins simultaneously with the fast in the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic churches on November 15. It lasts for 40 days and ends on Christmas Eve (the evening of the birth of Jesus Christ, for which Eastern Rite Christians prepare personal meals) on December 24.

It should be noted that in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and several other countries, the date of the beginning of this fast is variable. Here it is called Advent, which means "coming" in Latin, i.e. the coming of Christ. Originally, the word "Advent" meant the celebration of Christ's Nativity, and later it came to mean the time before Christ's Nativity. In the ninth century, the first Sunday of Advent became the beginning of the church year in the West. In the United States, this fast lasts four weeks (instead of 40 days) until Christmas. It begins on the fourth Sunday (on Sunday) before Christmas, from November 27 to December 3. In 2025, Advent begins on Sunday , November 30.

In the Orthodox Church of the Eastern Rite(OCU and UOC), this period is also called the Lesser Pentecost (Great Pentecost is the fast before Easter). Another name for the Christmas fast is the Pylypivka fast (Pylypivka). This is due to the fact that the last day before the fast is the Day of St. Philip the Apostle. This is the last date when there are no restrictions on food and drink consumption. The next day, the fast before Christmas begins.

After the fast, it will be possible to eat fast food (not lean food) only from December 25, on Christmas Day.

When and how the Christmas fast was established

The cradle of this fast is ancient Gaul (today's France). Here, since the fifth century, there have been references to a preparatory fast for Christ's Nativity. For example, Bishop Gregory of Tours (d. 594) says that St. Perpetius(Bishop of Tours, d. 491), from the day of St. Martin (November 11) until Christmas, fasted on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Also, the Council of Tours II (567) ordered the monks to fast every day in December until Christmas. A little later, this fast passed to Rome and Italy, and then to England.

In general, the first mention of this fast among Christians (at that time it was not yet called Christmas) was recorded in the fourth century (before the division of Christianity into Western and Eastern rites) during the papacy of Leo I. Initially, the fast lasted only seven days, and only later it was extended to forty days for Christians of the Eastern and Western rites and to four weeks in the churches of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. This was done in order to emphasize that Christmas is not inferior to Easter in its significance. Therefore, the preparation for it should be appropriate. In other words, the fasting itself emphasizes the importance of this event for Christians, and the period of observance means special preparation for an important holiday.

It should be noted that for Christians of the Western rite, the Christmas fast was also 40 days long for some time. Because this fast in the West began with the feast of St. Martin, it was originally called the Lent of St. Martin. Over time, it increased from three weeks to 40 days, like the fast before the feast of Easter. However, Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) reduced the number of weeks of Advent by four, which was supposed to symbolically mean four thousand years before Christ's coming. In some countries, Advent has remained a four-week celebration.

As for the Eastern Rite Christianity (i.e., Orthodoxy), although the Christmas fast began on November 15, its duration was uncertain and controversial for a long time. The reason was that in the East, only the Easter fast was prescribed by the laws of the Church, while the other three annual fasts-the fast of the Holy Apostles, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, and the Christmas fast-came into practice through custom. As early as the ninth century, there were disputes in the East about the duration of this fast. The work attributed to the Antiochian Patriarch Anastasius Sinaitus (561-600), "On the Three Pentecosts," refers to disputes over the obligation of the Christmas fast and the fact that it was not considered an apostolic fast but a monastic one, and that its duration was reduced to 18, 12, 6, or 4 days.

How to eat during the Christmas fast

The main idea of the fast is to combine physical fasting with spiritual fasting. During this fast, it is forbidden to eat meat, dairy products, and eggs. Food should be simple and of plant origin, and to compensate for the lack of animal protein, you should include mushrooms, legumes, and nuts in your diet.

Eastern Christians are allowed to eat vegetable foods without oil on Wednesday and Friday (strict fasting) (Western Christians may have such a restriction only on Friday), and on Tuesday and Thursday and on the day of the Entry of the Blessed Virgin into the Temple (November 21), you can eat vegetable foods with oil. On Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on major holidays, it is allowed to eat fish. It is allowed to lighten the fast.

On all days of fasting, those who observe it should refrain from organizing and participating in noisy parties, weddings, dances, entertainment, and other similar events.

It should be emphasized that the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Kyiv notes that the Orthodox Church has had only a monastic charter for many years, which primarily concerns monks. At the same time, the OCU advises believers to choose tangible restrictions for themselves, but those that will not harm their health.

The Greek Catholic Church has even more lenient restrictions. The Canons of Particular Law of the UGCC state that during all fasts (except for Lent, which has stricter rules) on Wednesday and Friday one should refrain from eating meat products and dishes. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, you can not limit yourself in the types of food.

But Christmas Eve is a day of obligatory fasting for all believers.

Who may not fast on Christmas Eve

Fasting is relaxed for those who are sick or working hard; for pregnant women and those who are nursing a baby; for children under 14 years of age and people who have turned 60 years old.

In some cases, the local hierarch may exempt from the obligation to fast.

Володимир Шкаєв