Orthodox posts in 2020

True believers honor the traditions of their church, so they look forward to fasting - a time when you can repent, purify spiritually and fully devote yourself to God. That is why it is very important for the Orthodox to know what dates the posts will fall in 2020.

What is a post

The first post was the commandment of God to Adam not to eat the fruits of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What happened as a result, everyone knows, even people not so deeply trusted in faith: the covenant broken by Adam led to the distortion of man by sin. Renounce everyday problems - this is exactly what a post in memory of the first sin of a person implies. Many people see it as a normal diet and limit themselves only to food, but in fact, this time is given in order to understand yourself and find your way to faith. In Orthodoxy adhere to multi-day and one-day abstinence.

One day

Friday and Wednesday are weekly fasting days. Exceptions - Great Weeks:

• Christmas time - January 7-18;
• Publican and Pharisee - February 10-16;
• Pancake week - February 24 - March 1;
• Bright week - April 20-26;
• Trinity Week - June 8-14.

Why was Wednesday and Friday especially highlighted? This is due to the historical events of the life of Christ. On Wednesday, Judas betrayed his teacher, and on Friday the Savior was crucified. Weekly abstinence trains strength of mind, prepares the body for longer fasts and strengthens faith. These days, meat, fish (in winter and spring meat-eaters), eggs, milk and fermented milk products are unacceptable. As for sunflower oil and hot cooked food, it is customary to discuss this issue with the priest. Strict Orthodox canons suggest dry eating these days, but more often, due to the peculiarities of human life and health, permissiveness in strictness is permissible. If possible, one-day posts should refrain from noisy parties, from watching entertainment programs.

In 2020, the Orthodox will have 70 days to keep their peace of mind and adhere to food restrictions.

Multi-day

According to the church calendar, there are four such periods. They pass on the eve of big holidays. Two of them are mobile and are considered from Easter, the rest are clearly fixed on the calendar.

Great Lent

It starts 48 days before Easter and is considered the most stringent. His second name is the Holy Pentecost. In 2020, Lent will be held from March 2 to April 18.

It was established in memory of Christ's forty-day journey through the wilderness. All this time, the Savior did not eat or drink anything, he struggled with the temptations of the devil. Like Jesus, every Orthodox Christian must strengthen his fortitude and maintain his purity.

Rules of the Holy Pentecost:

• Taboo for all food of animal origin.
• In the first week, hot food, vegetable oil is prohibited.
• The requirements for weekly fasting days are strengthened during Lent and Mondays are added to them: only cold food without oil is allowed and only after Vespers. You can eat dried fruits, raw vegetables, bread.
• Tuesday and Thursday are hot, but without oil and only in the evening. In 2020, April 7 (Tuesday) is the twelfth anniversary of the Annunciation. The church permits fish on this day.
• If on fasting days the date of memory of the great saints falls, hot food with oil is permissible. If on Wednesday and Friday - cold food with wine.
• On Saturday and Sunday, you can eat vegetable oil. On Saturdays, except Great, wine is acceptable.
• April 11 - Lazarev Saturday. On this day you can eat fish caviar.
• April 12 (Sunday) - Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem. The church allowed fish.
• Holy Week is a time of remembrance of the last days of Christ's earthly life. She is as strict as the first seven days. With regard to food banned Good Friday, when even dry-eating is not allowed.
• On Saturday, on the eve of the Holy Resurrection, a single meal of raw food is allowed.
• All days should refrain from amusement, watch less TV, conduct empty conversations.

Petrov Post

Also applies to carryover and begins a week after the Trinity. In 2020, it will begin on June 15 and end on July 11. The church honors him in memory of those who received the Holy Spirit after the Trinity and, in labor and hunger, prepared themselves to preach the gospel. Petrov Post less strict than the Great, but still it has its own characteristics.

• The requirements for meals are strengthened on Wednesdays and Fridays: these days you should eat cold food without oil and unheated drink.
• On Monday, hot food cooked in vegetable oil.
• On all other days, fish is allowed.
• Fasting is considered apostolic, so the church instructs believers to devote this time to understanding the apostolate as a whole and to cleanse their souls.

Christmas post

It always starts on November 28th and ends on January 6th. This time was given to Christians to prepare themselves for a meeting with the Savior who appeared in the world and offering him as gifts of his pure soul. Prayer, bodily abstinence, forgiveness of insults, repentance - this is how the life of a true Christian in this period should be. All 40 days before Christmas they do not conduct weddings, try to refrain from secular holidays. The Church does not set too tight a framework, as in the Great Pentecost. From November 28 to December 21, the meal is similar to the days of Petrov Lent: dry eating on Wednesdays and Fridays and hot dishes with vegetable oil on Mondays. On other days, fish is acceptable. The exception is Memorial Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (December 19), when wine is allowed in the meal. From December 21 to January 6, a complete ban on fish and seafood is introduced. The most severe day is January 6, Christmas Eve, when you can’t eat food until the first star appears in the sky.

Assumption Post

The shortest of all, lasts from August 14 to August 27 and ends with the celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 28th. According to a long-standing Christian tradition, he completes the year: September 14th is the church's new year. The Assumption Post is the only one dedicated to the Virgin. Usually, strict days of abstinence are defined as a sign of purification before the holidays, but before the Assumption they repeat the preparation for the eternal sleep of the Virgin. In terms of gastronomy, this is the most laxative of all posts: dry eating, cold food without oil should only be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The exception is August 19 (this is Wednesday in 2020), the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, its second name is Apple Savior. On this day, the church allows you to eat fish.

Read also:

• Lent in 2020
• Orthodox calendar for 2020
• Wedding Calendar for 2020

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