Food at Lent in 2020 by day

Lent is considered to be the main one in Orthodoxy, it is the strictest and longest post of the year - for 7 weeks, believers limit themselves in food, entertainment and carnal joys. When does fasting begin in 2020, how to abide by it, what rules and dietary restrictions should be observed by day?

From history to the present

Abstinence before Christ's Resurrection is associated with the number 40 - for so many days Jesus Christ fasted in the wilderness. In the modern Christian tradition, its actual duration can vary upwards - it depends on the rules of calculation.

At the dawn of the formation of Christianity, believers held fast 2 days a week - on Wednesday and Friday. Over time, they began to restrict themselves in food for 7 days before Easter. The 40-day fast is first mentioned in the Rules of the Holy Apostles dating back to the 6th century. They say that abstinence from food before Easter is the duty of all believers, except for sick and physically weak people.

Post Calendar

In 2020, Orthodox Christians expect 4 posts:

As you see, Great Lent is the longest period of 2020 (48 days), during which Orthodox Christians fast and limit themselves to worldly pleasures.

Preparation period

Also, the period of Great Lent is preceded by a 4-week preparatory period, the observance of the rules of which helps a person to correctly enter the post.

In the preparatory period, it is prescribed to refuse meat dishes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Daily Nutrition

In the 2020 Orthodox calendar Great Lent starts on March 2 and continues through April 18, inclusive.

At the same time, each of the seven weeks has its own characteristics, and the most severe dietary restrictions apply in the first week and Holy Week.

1st week

For fasting, this is the most difficult period, because following strict rules, they have to deal with temptations that are especially strong at the very beginning of the journey.

In the first week, believers should:

• March 2 - completely refrain from eating;
• from 3rd to 6th dry-eating is allowed;
• On the 7th and 8th of March you can eat vegetarian food with oil, including with heat treatment. On weekends, wine is allowed in small quantities.

2nd week

Lasts from March 9 to March 15.

These days remember the great theologian Gregory Palamou.

The nutrition rules in the second week of fasting are quite simple:

1. On days marked as “Dry Eating” (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), only raw food is supposed to be consumed. It is forbidden to cook, fry, bake, steam and consume any fats (even vegetable oil). One meal in the evening is recommended these days.
2. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can eat thermally processed oil-free products (boiled or steamed).
3. On weekends, fried and stewed foods with vegetable oil and some wine are allowed.

3rd week

Between March 16 and 22, the same rules apply as in the second week of Lent.

In Orthodox Churches and Temples they worship the Great Cross.

4th week

The fourth week lasts from March 23 to 29.

These days they recall the Monk John Climacus.

From Monday to Saturday, the Lenten menu is standard, but on Sunday the Annunciation is celebrated, which gives the Orthodox some relief. On March 29, 2020 it will be possible to afford not only hot dishes with vegetable oil and some wine, but also meatless varieties of fish.

5th week

It lasts from March 30 to April 5.

The temples venerate Mary of Egypt.

The nutrition schedule for the fifth week of fasting is the same as for the 2nd and 3rd.

6th week

From April 6 to 10, the traditional restrictions of Lent are in force, while on Saturday (04/11/20) you can treat yourself to caviar, and on Palm Sunday put low-fat fish on the table. Such exemptions are granted in honor of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem.

Holy Week

The name of the week comes from the noun “passion” and reminds the Orthodox about the suffering and torment of Jesus in the last days of his life. These days they remember the Last Supper, the betrayal and crucifixion of Christ, his miraculous resurrection. Refusal of food during this period marks the cleansing of the spirit through trials. In 2020, Holy Week falls on the last week of Lent and lasts from April 13 to 18. The dietary restrictions these days are especially severe:

1. Monday Wednesday (13.04-15.04) - dry eating.
2. Clean thursday (16.04) - hot vegetarian dishes with the addition of oil.
3. Good Friday (17.04) - complete abstinence from food. After taking out the Shroud and setting the sun, it is allowed to eat brown bread and drink water.
4. Good Saturday (18.04) - bread and water. Believers are conversing already on the bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ.

Passion week is the most severe. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday it is forbidden to drink wine and other drinks (tea, coffee, cocoa).

Great Lent Rules

Observe or not abide by strict rules, everyone decides for himself. The most severe restrictions exist for clerics. They are also strictly adhered to in monasteries. For the laity, the requirements for fasting are a bit softer. The main thing to remember is that they are not limited only by gastranomic restrictions.

What is forbidden

People who hold the post should exclude certain food groups from the diet. The bans are clearly listed in the monastery charter:

• animal food, including animal fats;
• bird, eggs;
• a fish;
• milk and dairy products;
• oil;
• alcoholic beverages, including wine (except for the days permitted by the monastery charter);
• chocolate;
• fast food.

Overeating during the entire period of abstinence is also prohibited.

What to put on the table

Lenten menu can also be varied, tasty and healthy. Here is a sample daily food calendar:

• Monday - Only raw food should be on the table. It can be fruits and vegetables without heat treatment, berries, nuts, fresh herbs. You can eat brown bread and drink water.
• Tuesday - on this day are allowed lean boiled, steam, baked dishes. This can be vegetable soups or cereals cooked on water without adding oil, steamed or baked vegetables in the oven, stewed cabbage with mushrooms, potatoes. For taste, they can be salted and seasoned with spices.
• Wednesday - Another day of dry eating. The products on the menu are the same as on Monday. From fresh vegetables or fruits, you can make smoothies in a blender by mixing the ingredients with water. You can’t add honey for taste in the environment.

• Thursday - Tuesday's diet is repeated. To diversify the menu, you can cook steamed vegetables and beat them in a blender in soup puree.
• Friday - raw food again. Vegetable salads without dressing, but with spices, fruit smoothies, fresh herbs - the basis of the diet.
• Saturday and Sunday - vegetable salads with dressing from vegetable oil, lean soups, stews, heat-treated vegetables.

How to fast

The Great Pentecost is not limited to abstinence from food for 7 weeks.Believers should refrain from temptations, including:

1. sexual partnerships or marriages;
2. visiting the theater, cinema, other secular institutions;
3. liberation from bad thoughts and malice.

They devote free time to reading spiritual literature, prayer, helping those in need, and humility of their own pride. This is the only way to purify and elevate the soul by fulfilling the main goal of pre-Easter restrictions.

Derogations from the monastery charter

These rules are common to all Christian believers. They should be followed when preparing the menu, if the fasting person's goal is to purify spiritually and improve the body. In case of deterioration of well-being, other health problems, as well as with an acute unbearable hunger, you can adapt the menu for yourself, including vegetable fats or dairy products. The goal of the Great Pentecost is purification and healing, and not aggravation of health problems.

Doctors do not recommend limiting oneself to nutrition:

1. children
2. pregnant women
3. Athletes
4. people engaged in heavy physical labor.

The church is loyal in this regard: you can compensate for concessions by doing charity and good deeds, attending church services, reading spiritual literature, and avoiding sinful thoughts.

Holidays

• Clean monday - the Great Fourfold begins with him, he follows the Forgiveness Resurrection. It is customary to start the fasting clean, therefore the Orthodox clean up the house, workplace, cleanse the body in a bath or bath. On Clean Monday, it is advisable to refrain from eating. By tradition, dishes left over from Shrovetide are fed to animals and birds.
• Middle Cross - Another holiday that falls in the middle of the post. In Russian villages, they usually baked lean cakes and cookies in the shape of a cross and treated neighbors and acquaintances. Now this tradition is rarely followed.
• Annunciation - A large church holiday falling on Lent (April 7, 2020). It marks the imminent coming of Jesus Christ into the world. The good news was conveyed to the Mother of God of Mary by the archangel Gabriel. On this holiday, the church allows concessions - you can include fish and fish dishes, red wine in the diet.

It is forbidden to work in the Annunciation, especially in fields and vegetable gardens. Food should be prepared quickly and simply, a holiday to be spent with the family in a state of physical and mental peace. Be sure to repent for the sins, free and involuntary, to forgive the offenders and ill-wishers.

• Lazarev Saturday celebrated on Saturday in the sixth fasting week. This holiday marks the resurrection of Lazarus on the 4th day after his death. The troparion of triumph says that Christ first raised up the righteous Lazarus, and then he accepted suffering.
• Palm Sunday falls on the sixth week of the Pentecost. The holiday marks the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem and the beginning of his suffering. Initially, palm branches were consecrated, but in a temperate climate, exotic trees do not grow, so they adapted the tradition.

On Lazarev Saturday and Palm Sunday, you can eat fish and fish dishes, use vegetable oil for cooking and allow a little red wine. The main dish of these holidays is considered to be fish soup, and caviar is allowed on Palm Sunday.

Exemptions do not work if the listed church holidays fall on Holy Week. In 2020, the last two celebrations fall just on her, so there are strict restrictions on food, according to the canons described above.

We also offer to listen to what mistakes should beware of those who plan to observe Lent in 2020:

Read also:

• Christmas post in 2019-2020
• Orthodox posts in 2020
• Petrov Post in 2020

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