,
Brooklyn Museum (circa 1890) prepared according to the diet specified in the
Daniel Fast: this particular meal includes black bean spaghetti, quinoa, and mixed vegetables composed of cucumbers, mushrooms, microgreens, arugula, and baby carrots. Fasting is a practice in several
Christian denominations and is done both collectively during certain seasons of the
liturgical calendar, or individually as a believer feels led by the
Holy Spirit. In the traditional
Black Fast, the observant abstains from food and liquids for a whole day until the evening, and at sunset, traditionally breaks the fast with a
vegetarian meal. Christians normatively fasted in this way during
Lent prior to the 6th century, though it continues in certain denominations such as the
Coptic Orthodox Church. Historically, the Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and Methodist denominations of Christianity have emphasized the importance of the
Friday fast, which has traditionally involved fasting and abstinence from meat,
lacticinia and alcohol. Likewise, the prophet
Elijah went into the mountains for forty days and nights to fast and pray "until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God" when "the word of the Lord came to him" (cf. ). In the
New Testament,
Jesus went into the desert to fast and pray for forty days and forty nights; it was during this time that
Satan tried to
tempt him (cf. ). In
Western Christianity, fasting is observed during the forty-day season of Lent by many communicants of the
Catholic Church,
Lutheran Churches,
Anglican Communion,
Moravian Church,
Methodist Churches,
Western Orthodox Churches,
United Protestant Churches and certain
Reformed Churches, to commemorate the fast observed by
Christ during his temptation in the desert. In many
Western Christian Churches, including those of the Catholic, Methodist and Baptist traditions, certain congregations have committed to undertaking the
Daniel Fast during the whole season of Lent, in which believers practice
abstinence from meat, lacticinia and alcohol for the entire forty days of the liturgical season. In certain denominations, such as the
Coptic Orthodox Church, as well as in certain countries, such as India and Pakistan, many Christians observe the
Black Fast throughout the whole season of Lent. After attending a worship service, often on Wednesday evenings, it is common for Christians of various denominations to break that day's Lenten fast together through a communal
Lenten supper, which is held in the church's
parish hall. Along with fasting, certain Christian denominations such as the
Coptic Orthodox Church, enjoin
sexual abstinence during Lent for believers "to give themselves time for fasting and prayer ().") and two small meals (known liturgically as
collations), both of which together should not equal the large meal. Eating solid food between meals is not permitted. Fasting is required of the faithful between the ages of 18 and 59 on specified days. Complete abstinence of meat for the day is required of those 14 and older. Meat is understood as that of warm-blooded land animals. In the Catholic Church, the forty days of Lent were days of fasting and abstinence from meat and lacticinia until these rules were relaxed by
Pope Benedict XIV in
Non Ambigimus and by
Pope Leo XIII in
Indultum quadragesimale. Prior to the closure of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, all of the weekdays of Lent, totaling forty days, were days of fasting in the Catholic Church, with Fridays and Saturdays being days of abstinence from meat; these rules continue to be observed by certain
Traditional Catholics, such as those worshipping in the chapels of
Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI).
Pope Pius XII initially relaxed some of the regulations concerning fasting in 1956. In 1966,
Pope Paul VI in his apostolic constitution
Paenitemini, changed the strictly regulated Catholic fasting requirements. He recommended that fasting be appropriate to the local economic situation, and that all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain. In the United States, there are only two obligatory days of fast – Ash Wednesday and
Good Friday. Though not under the pain of mortal sin, fasting on all forty days of Lent is "strongly recommended". The Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence. Pastoral teachings since 1966 have urged voluntary fasting during Lent and voluntary abstinence on the other Fridays of the year. The regulations concerning such activities do not apply when the ability to work or the health of a person would be negatively affected.
Anglicanism The
1662 Book of Common Prayer prescribes certain days as days for fasting and abstinence, "consisting of the 40 days of Lent, the ember days, the three
Rogation days (the Monday to Wednesday following the Sunday after Ascension Day), and all Fridays in the year (except Christmas, if it falls on a Friday)":
A Table of the Vigils, Fasts, and Days of Abstinence, to be Observed in the Year. :The eves (
vigils) before: ::The
Nativity of our Lord. ::The
Purification of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. ::The
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin. ::
Easter Day. ::
Ascension Day. ::
Pentecost. ::
St. Matthias. ::
St. John Baptist. ::
St. Peter. ::
St. James. ::
St. Bartholomew. ::
St. Matthew. ::
St. Simon and
St. Jude. ::
St. Andrew. ::
St. Thomas. ::
All Saints' Day. :Note: if any of these Feast-Days fall upon a Monday, then the Vigil or Fast-Day shall be kept upon the Saturday, and not upon the Sunday next before it. :Days of Fasting, or Abstinence. ::I. The Forty Days of
Lent. ::II. The
Ember Days at the Four Seasons, being the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the First Sunday in Lent, the Feast of Pentecost, September 14, and December 13. ::III. The Three
Rogation Days, being the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, before Holy Thursday, or the Ascension of our Lord. ::IV. All the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas Day.
Saint Augustine's Prayer Book defines "Fasting, usually meaning not more than a light breakfast, one full meal, and one half meal, on the forty days of Lent."
Abstinence, according to Saint Augustine's Prayer Book, "means to refrain from some particular type of food or drink. One traditional expression of abstinence is to avoid meat on Fridays in Lent or through the entire year, except in the seasons of Christmas and Easter. It is common to undertake some particular act of abstinence during the entire season of Lent. This self-discipline may be helpful at other times, as an act of solidarity with those who are in need or as a bodily expression of prayer." In the process of revising the
Book of Common Prayer in various provinces of the
Anglican Communion the specification of abstinence or fast for certain days has been retained. Generally Lent and Fridays are set aside, though Fridays during Christmastide and Eastertide are sometimes avoided. Often the
Ember days or
Rogation days are also specified, and the eves (vigils) of certain feasts. In addition to these days of fasting, many Anglicans also observe a
eucharistic fast. Saint Augustine's Prayer Book states that the eucharistic fast is a "strict fast from both food and drink from midnight" that is done "in order to receive the Blessed Sacrament as the first food of the day" in "homage to our Lord". Additionally, Orthodox Christians abstain from sexual relations on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, as with the entirety of Lent, the
Nativity Fast and the fifteen days before the
Feast of the Assumption of Mary. This same concept is also found in the much earlier homilies of Saint
Macarius the Great. Fasting can take up a significant portion of the calendar year. The purpose of fasting is not to suffer, but according to
Sacred Tradition to guard against
gluttony and impure thoughts, deeds and words. Fasting must always be accompanied by increased prayer and
almsgiving (donating to a local charity, or directly to the poor, depending on circumstances). To engage in fasting without them is considered useless or even spiritually harmful. Other days occur which are always observed as fast days: • The
paramony or Eve of
Christmas and of
Theophany (Epiphany) •
Beheading of John the Baptist •
Exaltation of the Cross ;Rules Fasting during these times includes abstention from: • meat, fish, eggs and milk products • sometimes oil (interpreted variously as abstention from
olive oil only, or as abstention from all cooking oils in general), and • red wine (which is often interpreted as including all wine or alcoholic beverages) • sexual activity (where fasting is pre-communion) When a
feast day occurs on a fast day, the fast is often mitigated (lessened) to some degree (though meat and dairy are never consumed on any fast day). For example, the Feast of the
Annunciation almost always occurs within the Great Lent in the Orthodox calendar: in this case fish (traditionally
haddock fried in olive oil) is the main meal of the day. There are two degrees of mitigation: allowance of wine and oil; and allowance of fish, wine and oil. The very young and very old, nursing mothers, the infirm, as well as those for whom fasting could endanger their health somehow, are exempt from the strictest fasting rules. On weekdays of the first week of Great Lent, fasting is particularly severe, and many observe it by abstaining from all food for some period of time. According to strict observance, on the first five days (Monday through Friday) there are only two meals eaten, one on Wednesday and the other on Friday, both after the
Presanctified Liturgy. Those who are unable to follow the strict observance may eat on Tuesday and Thursday (but not, if possible, on Monday) in the evening after
Vespers, when they may take bread and water, or perhaps tea or fruit juice, but not a cooked meal. The same strict abstention is observed during
Holy Week, except that a vegan meal with wine and oil is allowed on
Great Thursday.
Methodism In
Methodism, fasting is considered one of the
Works of Piety. "The General Rules of the Methodist Church", written by the founder of Methodism,
John Wesley, wrote that "It is expected of all who desire to continue in these societies that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation, by attending upon all the ordinances of God, such are: the public worship of God; the ministry of the Word, either read or expounded; the Supper of the Lord; family and private prayer; searching the Scriptures; and fasting or abstinence." Methodism's principal liturgical book
The Sunday Service of the Methodists (put together by John Wesley), as well as The Directions Given to Band Societies (25 December 1744), mandated for Methodists
fasting and abstinence from meat on all Fridays of the year, a practice that was reemphasized by
Phoebe Palmer and became standard in the Methodist churches of the
holiness movement. Additionally, the
Discipline of the
Wesleyan Methodist Church required Methodists to fast on "the first Friday after
New-Year's-day; after
Lady-day; after
Midsummer-day; and after
Michaelmas-day." Historically, Methodist clergy are required to fast on Wednesdays, in remembrance of the betrayal of Christ, and on Fridays, in remembrance of His crucifixion and death. In many
Methodist connexions, fasting during the Christian season of repentance,
Lent, has been emphasized due to what is seen as its biblical origin of "Jesus, as part of his spiritual preparation, went into the wilderness and fasted 40 days and 40 nights".
Oriental Orthodox All Oriental Orthodox churches practice fasting; however, the rules of each church differ. All churches require fasting from midnight onwards before one receives
Holy Communion. All churches practice fasting on most Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year as well as observing many other days. Monks and nuns also observe additional fast days not required of the laity. The
Armenian Apostolic Church (with the exception of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem) has followed the
Gregorian calendar since 1923, making it and the
Finnish Orthodox Church (an Eastern Orthodox church) the only Orthodox churches to primarily celebrate
Easter on the same date as
Western Christianity. As a result, the Armenian church's observation of
Lent generally begins and ends before that of other Orthodox churches.
Lutheran Martin Luther, the Protestant
Reformer, held that fasting served to "kill and subdue the pride and lust of the flesh". As such, the
Evangelical Lutheran churches often emphasize voluntary fasting over collective fasting, though certain liturgical seasons and holy days are times for communal fasting and abstinence. Certain Evangelical Lutheran communities advocate fasting during designated times such as Lent, especially on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent delineates the following Lutheran fasting guidelines: It is also considered to be an appropriate physical preparation for partaking of the
Eucharist, but fasting is not necessary for receiving the sacrament.
Martin Luther wrote in his
Small Catechism "Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training, but a person who has faith in these words, 'given for you' and 'shed for you for the forgiveness of sin' is really worthy and well prepared."
Reformed John Calvin, the figurehead of the
Reformed tradition (the
Continental Reformed,
Congregational,
Presbyterian, and
Anglican Churches) held that communal fasts "would help assuage the wrath of God, thus combating the ravages of plague, famine and war." The
Reformed Church in America describes the first day of Lent,
Ash Wednesday, as a day "focused on prayer, fasting, and repentance" and considers fasting a focus of the whole Lenten season, as demonstrated in the "Invitation to Observe a Lenten Discipline", found in the Reformed liturgy for the Ash Wednesday service, which is read by the presider: In more recent years, many churches affected by
liturgical renewal movements have begun to encourage fasting as part of
Lent and sometimes
Advent, two penitential seasons of the
liturgical year.
Anabaptist Members of the
Anabaptist movement generally fast in private. The practice is not regulated by ecclesiastic authority.
Moravian / Hussite Members of the
Moravian Church voluntarily fast during the season of Lent, along with making a
Lenten sacrifice for the season as a form of penitence.
Pentecostalism Classical
Pentecostalism does not have set days of abstinence, but individuals in the movement may feel they are being directed by the Holy Spirit to undertake either short or extended fasts. Although Pentecostalism has not classified different types of fasting, certain writers within the movement have done so. Arthur Wallis writes about the "Normal Fast" in which pure water alone is consumed. The
Black Fast in which nothing, not even water, is consumed is also mentioned. In addition to the normal fast and black fast, some undertake what is referred to as the
Daniel Fast (or Partial Fast) in which only one type of food (e.g., fruit or fruit and non-starchy vegetables) is consumed. Members are encouraged to donate more than just the minimal amount, and be as generous as possible.
Gordon B. Hinckley stated: "Think ... of what would happen if the principles of fast day and the fast offering were observed throughout the world. The hungry would be fed, the naked clothed, the homeless sheltered. ... A new measure of concern and unselfishness would grow in the hearts of people everywhere." Fasting and the associated donations for use in assisting those in need, are an important principle as evidenced by church leaders addresses on the subject during
general conferences of the church. Sunday worship meetings on Fast Sunday include opportunities for church members to publicly bear
testimony of their belief in Jesus Christ and church doctrine during the
sacrament meeting portion, often referred to as
fast and testimony meeting. Fasting is also encouraged for members any time they desire to grow closer to God and to exercise self-mastery of spirit over body. Members may also implement personal, family, or group fasts any time they desire to solicit special blessings from God, including health or comfort for themselves or others. In modern versions of the Daniel Fast, food choices may be limited to whole grains, fruits, vegetables, pulses, nuts, seeds and oil. The Daniel Fast resembles the vegan diet in that it excludes foods of animal origin. The passages strongly suggest that the Daniel Fast will promote good health and mental performance, due to God's blessing. == Hinduism ==