Fish dishes during the fasting period: is it possible or not? When can you eat fish on Advent

According to the charter, three times a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, fish, alcoholic beverages and vegetable oil should be excluded from the diet. These days, the laity should adhere to the rule of dry eating. In addition, meals should be brought at a time after Vespers.

Interesting!

According to the church charter, dry eating is the use of only food that has not been subjected to heat treatment.

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are the days when food seasoned or cooked with vegetable oil is allowed.

Days of special severity

In the period from December 20 to 25, old style, that is, January 2-6, according to the new style, very strict restrictions on food are introduced when compared with previous days. This means that during this period, even on weekends, the diet should not contain fish and products that contain it.

Today, priests are of the opinion that the laity may not fast with all strictness. This means that it is not recommended to include fish in the diet only on Wednesday and Friday. However, this is not a rule, but rather an indulgence. Its introduction can be explained by the modern working pace. Most people spend a lot of time commuting to work, performing professional duties, and solving household problems.

Communion and eating fish

Advent is a period when communion is not only possible, but also desirable. In addition, the frequency of this action should be as large as possible. Actually, fasting is a time that in itself contributes to and prepares for communion.

Is it possible to eat fish in fasting

The Church charter clearly spells out the time for eating fast food and its quality. There are very strict meal rules, performed in monasteries and by some believers with the blessing of the confessor. For the laity, certain degrees of relaxation of fasting are provided, depending on the state of health, age, and occupation. When you can eat fish in Lent and what types of it are discussed in this article.

It is allowed to eat fish twice - on a holiday, fish caviar - only on Lazarus Saturday of Great Lent.

Orthodox celebrate the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem on the last Sunday before Easter. On Palm Sunday, a festive All-Night Vigil is celebrated in churches, after which priests read prayers and sprinkle willow branches with holy water. Prayers come to the Church with willows, meeting the coming God at the divine service with bouquets of willows with burning candles.

The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is a great Christian celebration during Great Lent, glorifying the announcement to the Virgin Mary of the news of the conception and birth of the infant Christ. The celebration of the Annunciation is not postponed on Easter day, even if the holidays coincide. On the Annunciation, the Church Charter blesses the eating of oil and fish.

When can you eat fish in Lent?

What kind of fish can you eat in Lent?

Fish dishes from any kind of fish are not forbidden: herring, pike perch, perch, salmon, pink salmon. It is best to eat boiled fish, a fish pie or a fish roll with vegetables cooked in oil. Fish can be cooked on fire, baked, fried, boiled. A good option is to cook lean with the addition of fish or fish.

Can you eat seafood during Lent?

In Orthodox monasteries in Greece, monks are not forbidden to eat seafood during Lent, although they fast strictly and do not eat fish. The Greek charter equates squid, shrimp and crabs with sea plants and gives permission to eat them on Sunday and Saturday along with butter. In Russia, there is no strict ban on the consumption of seafood during fasting, but the Orthodox Church puts forward a clear criterion: lenten food is vegetable. Systematics refers shrimp, squid and crabs to the animal kingdom, so seafood is considered semi-lean food. Some priests believe that it is permissible for the laity to diversify the table with “sea reptiles” on church holidays, others believe that seafood should be consumed twice throughout Great Lent. It is advisable for believers to clarify this issue in a personal conversation with their confessor.

Can You Eat Fish During Lent?

So, when can you eat fish in Lent? On the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos (April 7) and Palm Sunday. Fasting is softened for nursing mothers, pregnant women, children, the sick, the elderly. It is necessary to fast according to health, trying to keep love, mercy, longsuffering, which are the goal of bodily fasting. The main meaning of fasting is abstinence and preservation of spiritual purity, which is impossible without attending divine services, prayer, confession, repentance, communion with the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Fish in Lent, video recipe

Instruction

The general system of fasts was established by the Russian Orthodox Church as early as 1166. Their total duration is 200 days a year. Posts are divided into multi-day and one-day. During the year, believers hold four multi-day fasts: Great, Petrovsky, Christmas and Assumption. One-day fasts are observed on Wednesday and Friday of every week, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist and the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.

Wednesday and Friday are called fast days. Moreover, in the period between the summer Petrov and Assumption fasts, as well as in the autumn before the Christmas fast, these days are strict fasts, i.e. prohibiting the consumption of fish, meat and dairy products. In the winter meat-eater between Christmas and Lent, as well as in the spring before Peter's Lent, boiled food, vegetable oil and fish are allowed. Fish products are also prohibited on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Petrov, or Apostolic, fasting begins a week after the Holy Trinity. According to the regulations, fish is allowed only on Tuesday and Thursday and on weekends when the light fast begins. The method of preparing fish products includes boiling, stewing, baking and frying in vegetable oil. In the days of the Dormition Fast, the mother of Jesus Christ, Mary, is commemorated. This post is more strict than Petrov. Fish dishes are allowed to be consumed only once, on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Advent fast always begins on the same day, November 28, and lasts for forty days until January 6, when Christmas Eve is celebrated. This post is inferior in severity to the Assumption and the Great. Fish and fish products that can be consumed with vegetable oil and wine are allowed on Saturday and Sunday.

The strictest and longest fast of all is Great. It precedes the onset of a great church holiday - Easter. Great Lent begins seven weeks before the feast and consists of the Lent, that is, four weeks, and Holy Week. Fortecost symbolizes the life of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth and his stay in the wilderness for 40 days, and Passion Day is dedicated to the memory of the last days of earthly life, suffering, death and burial of Jesus Christ. Believers during all days of fasting refuse dairy products, poultry, meat. And only two holidays involve the use of fish, vegetable oil and wine - the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos (only if this day does not fall on Holy Week) and Palm Sunday. And on Lazarus Saturday it is allowed to taste fish caviar.

Can you eat fish
Fish is allowed:

November 28 - December 19: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays;
December 20 - January 1: on Saturdays and Sundays;
December 4 (on the feast of the Entry of the Virgin into the temple);
December 19 (on the day of St. Nicholas).

Can you drink wine
The use of this drink is allowed on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on the holidays of the Entry of the Virgin into the Temple and St. Nicholas.

How to prepare and smoothly enter the post

In order for food restrictions to be perceived by your body more easily and not harm your well-being, you should:

prepare for the post in a few weeks. Animal products should be excluded gradually, so as not to cause stress in the body due to sudden starvation. The first products that should be abandoned: lamb, beef, pork. Then the ban should apply to milk and eggs;
the day before entering the post, cleanse the intestines so that the mechanisms of intracellular nutrition start. It will also help to get rid of the obsessive feeling of hunger. People who neglect bowel cleansing will find it harder to suppress their appetite, especially in the first 2-3 days;
before the spell, it is forbidden to eat fatty, heavy and indigestible food;
enter the post with weak restrictions, which must be gradually tightened;
the reduced calorie content of food can be compensated by increasing the serving size at a time;
in the early days, you can experiment with the diet and eat more often. When the body finally gets used to the new diet, you can return to the previous daily routine;
make frequent fruit and vegetable snacks between main meals;
drink water instead of other drinks: juice, compote.

Rules of conduct and traditions of the Advent

Advent is not only food restrictions, but also a time when you can repent of your thoughts and actions. This means that a person must give up many familiar things:

food of animal origin - milk, butter, eggs, cheese, sour cream and partially fish;
the use of alcoholic beverages - they are prohibited by the Church Charter throughout the entire period of fasting (except for wine);
idleness - excessive rest can harm both the body and the soul;
entertainment - visiting entertainment venues, noisy festivities with friends, celebrating anniversaries, excessive enthusiasm for the Internet are unacceptable during fasting;
watching TV - scenes of cruelty, violence from television series and news will complicate the process of searching for the Divine within oneself;
travel - trips that are not connected with visiting shrines or do not contain a spiritual basis, it is better to reschedule for another time;
marital relations - carnal restrictions are welcome only by mutual consent of both spouses.

Changes should also affect the sphere of relationships with people. During the Nativity Fast, you need to become kinder and more tolerant of others, discard all insults and stop using foul language.

During the days of fasting, it is desirable to visit churches and services, read the Gospel, pray, read the Psalter, do charitable deeds and give alms, take communion.

The Orthodox Church does not prohibit reading akathists during the Nativity Fast. Given the large number of days of remembrance in the Orthodox calendar for December, doing this is not only possible, but also beneficial from a spiritual point of view.

Do's and Don'ts on Christmas Day

Fasting is a period of restrictions not only in nutrition, but also in lifestyle. To achieve spiritual purification, it is necessary to refrain from daily sins. You can not remain angry, irritable, allow bad thoughts, quarrel with loved ones, condemn others and gossip. It is forbidden to attend entertainment events, abuse TV viewing and Internet resources. Neglect of these rules is considered a violation of the fast.

Is it possible to do needlework
During the period of the Advent, it is allowed to sew, embroider with beads, knit and crochet. Restrictions for needlework arise only when it replaces the pronunciation of prayers and going to the temple.

Is it possible to baptize a child
For christening, you can choose any day of Advent.

Is it possible to commemorate the dead
It is allowed to commemorate the dead from November 28 to January 5. It is better to do this by prayer - in church or at home. You can also order memorial services and submit notes for proskomedia. If a memorial meal falls during this period, her diet should be as simple and lean as possible. It is possible to weaken fasting requirements only with the permission of a priest or personal spiritual mentor.

Is it possible to conceive a child
According to church traditions, it is undesirable to conceive a child during fasting, although restrictions on intimacy can only be by mutual agreement. If conception nevertheless happened, you should not torment yourself with prejudices and worry once again. The date of conception according to the church calendar is not related to the health and development of the unborn child.

Is it possible to get married
The Sacrament of the Wedding is not performed on fasting days.

Is it possible to play a wedding
A modest version of the painting in the registry office does not go beyond guard restrictions. A merry walk with an abundance of meat and fish dishes during 40 days of fasting is not welcome. It is believed that such a wedding promises misfortune and deprivation to the newlyweds.

Is it possible to go hunting and fishing
The Orthodox Church does not support killing animals and catching fish for the sake of excitement and interesting pastime. Therefore, it is better to refuse them during fasting.

Sayings and signs

If during Advent the weather is extremely cloudy or snowy, then May will be quite rainy.
If blizzards often sweep, early spring should be expected.
If in its first days there are frosts, then the harvest of bread will be good.
If relatives quarrel during fasting, then the whole next year will be full of trouble.
The loss of some thing promises losses next year, and any find - new income.
If at the end of the moon you touch a dry branch with a wart, while saying: “As in Lent, the meat is empty on a dish, so that the wart was not thick,” then it will dry up and fall off.

Christmas fast for Catholics

For Catholics, the traditions of the Advent Lent are in many ways similar to those of the Orthodox. The main difference is the dates. The Catholic Advent begins on November 15th and ends on December 24th. During this period, people take on individual obligations that may relate to various areas of daily life: limiting attendance at entertainment events, charity, reconciliation with others. Catholics do not adhere to special dietary restrictions.

The strictest days of fasting for Catholics are the four Sundays preceding Christmas, which are called Advent. These days are devoted to repentance and prayers. The attribute of Advent is a wreath with four candles, which is placed on the home altar.

The longest 40-day Advent fast of the year will begin on November 28th. The laity will observe it until January 6th. On such days it will not be possible to consume dairy products, eggs. Especially for those who will fast, we have compiled a food calendar by day.

The main goal of the Advent Lent 2018-2019 is to prepare the soul and body for the Nativity of Christ. A person who decides to fast must do it consciously, approach this issue consciously, understand the meaning of religious abstinence.

When can you eat fish in Advent 2018-2019

Eating fish is allowed on weekends and those on which church holidays fall (if it is Tuesday or Thursday). During Advent, you can eat it:

in November - the 29th;

in December - 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 29, 30 numbers.

Do's and Don'ts on Christmas Day

A few days before the Advent, you need to contact the clergyman for recommendations, learn how to fast. You also need to repent, pray, ask for a blessing.

It is impossible to allow negative thoughts, get angry, conflict, lose heart, envy during the Christmas post. It is better not to fast if you understand that you cannot help breaking all the prohibitions and rules. On fast days, entertainment events, holidays, and festivities are prohibited. Also, you can not enter into intimate relationships - this will be a great sin in the Advent.

On fasting days, food of animal origin is prohibited. Butter with cottage cheese, eggs with cheese, milk, and other dairy products should be excluded from the menu. It is possible and necessary to eat a variety of cereals, soups in fasting, while sugaring and salting them cannot be. During the Advent, you should forget about a variety of seasonings and pickled vegetables. Every day a person who fasts should eat fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins, nuts, honey.

It is impossible to woo, marry during the Nativity Fast, and the young are not crowned in the church. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed.

Be sure to read prayers on fasting days.

Publican's prayer: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." (Bow).

According to the Gospel of Luke, this is a prayer of repentance, which was said by the publican in the parable of the publican and the Pharisee. In this parable, Christ cited the publican's prayer as an example of repentance and forgiveness of God's mercy.

The preparatory prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all Saints, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee."

Observance of the Advent fast by day

Lenten menu should consist of raw, boiled, stewed, baked, salty dishes. They should be diversified with salads, pickles, casseroles, stews, pies. Tea, coffee should be replaced with juices, fruit drinks, jelly, teas.

Fasting by day:

November - 28 and 30, December - 3, 5, 7, 12, 14, 17, 21, 24, 31, January - 3: these days you need to cook hot food, for example, buckwheat porridge, lean soups.
November - 29, December - 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18, 22, 23, 29, 30: mostly "fish" days. You need to find fish dishes in advance. The fish itself can be eaten in any form.
December - 10, 11, 19, 20, 25-28, January - 1, 5: food seasoned with vegetable oil.
January - 2, 4, 6: dry eating. The menu should be made up of fruits, vegetables, nuts, honey, mushrooms.