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Believers of the Orthodox Church in 2020 will traditionally observe Lent before the Holy Holiday - Easter. Christian tradition has ancient roots. This is a kind of preparation for the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, a reverence for the memory of His last days of life on earth. This post is the longest and most rigorous, therefore, pregnant and sick people are allowed to make concessions on some days. Much attention is paid not only to abstinence from food, but also to spiritual cleansing. We will find out when the beginning and end of Lent will be.
When it will be
Since Lent is tied to Easter, it does not have a fixed date, so it is not surprising that many people are interested in what date it starts in 2020. Calculating the period of strict abstinence from food is not difficult on your own, it is enough to know the date of the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. To find out the beginning, you should count 7 weeks ago. Fasting begins immediately after Pancake Week, Monday after Forgiveness Sunday.
Important! In 2020, Lent will last from March 2 to April 18 (inclusive).
The entire period of abstinence from food and earthly pleasures is divided into three main periods:
- 40 day post. It will last from March 2 to April 10. Dedicated to the abstinence of Jesus Christ from food for 40 days. In the church, this period is also called the Holy Fourteenth.
- Lazarev Saturday and Palm Sunday (April 11 and 12). Two holidays that fall on the weekend of the sixth week. Some bans are loosening these days.
- Passion Week (April 13-18). The last week before Easter, a period of reverence for the memory of God's Son, His last sufferings on earth.
The most stringent are the first and last week of fasting. During these periods, believers not only significantly limit themselves in food, but also spend most of their time in prayers, repentance of sins, and pacification of negative feelings and emotions.
History of occurrence
Lent, which consists of a charter of strict rules and restrictions, appeared after the death of Jesus Christ. He has become a tradition of honoring the memory of God’s son and his suffering for the sake of the salvation of mankind. Initially, Christians fasted on Easter, and the fast lasted 40 day hours and 40 night hours (3.3 days).
In the III century, the period of abstinence lengthened to 40 days, and the incentive for such an innovation was the act of Jesus Christ, who limited himself to food during this period. Since then, tradition has taken root in Christianity, although the rules have changed repeatedly over the centuries. By the way, Orthodox Christians have a more strict charter than Catholics. The latter are more loyal to abstinence in food and other pleasure. Orthodox believers believe that Lent allows you to feel all the pain and suffering of God's Son, who sacrificed his life for the salvation of people.
Nutrition basics
Not all people know what is and cannot be eaten during Lent. This is especially true for believers who have recently converted to religion. Knowing all the features of nutrition, you can easily make the right diet.
Forbidden products
It is strictly forbidden to eat all types of meat:
- pork
- lamb;
- chicken meat;
- rabbit meat;
- turkey
- beef;
- game, etc.
Semi-finished and finished products that contain meat are also banned.These include dumplings, meatballs, sausages, sausages, etc. Do not use any dairy products, including sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, etc. In addition, you can not eat eggs, seafood and fish in any form. There are exceptions for the latter product.
What may be on the menu
Despite a number of prohibitions, meals in Great Lent in 2020 can be made quite diverse, as the list of allowed foods is quite impressive. It is allowed to include in the diet:
- vegetables;
- fruits;
- greenery;
- beans and legumes;
- nuts
- mushrooms;
- cereals;
- pasta;
- dried fruits;
- pickles and pickles.
From drinks it is allowed to drink tea and coffee, compotes and jelly, coconut or soy milk. Sometimes you can eat lean sweets:
- honey;
- marmalade;
- halva;
- jams and preserves;
- Cookies made without eggs, butter and sour cream.
Important! One of the main rules of Lent says that you can not overeat. This applies even to plant foods.
Daily Nutrition
According to church charters, when fasting in the first week, a number of rules should be followed:
- On Monday after Shrovetide, it is worth completely giving up food.
- On other weekdays, only dry eating is allowed. The diet may contain vegetables and fruits, bread and dryers, dried fruits and nuts, as well as compotes and other drinks. Cooked hot food is not consumed.
- On Saturday and Sunday it is allowed to eat hot food with the addition of vegetable oil. It can be lean borsch, cereal soups, cereals on the water, jelly, etc.
Note! On the Annunciation (April 7) it is allowed to include fish in the menu.
The following five weeks, when compiling the menu, it is important to adhere to the following principles:
- On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, there should be dry eating. Only cold food without cooking.
- On Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends, hot food is allowed. In its preparation, you can use vegetable oil.
- On Lazarev Saturday, hot vegetable food can be “diluted” with fish caviar.
- Palm Sunday includes fish.
On Holy Week, fasting like this:
- From Monday to Thursday (inclusive) you can eat only vegetables and fruits, pickles, drying and bread.
- You cannot eat anything on Friday until the Shroud is removed. Only drink unheated water.
- On Saturday, the diet should consist of bread and water.
On weekdays, it is allowed to eat only once a day. It is best to eat after sunset, but this condition is not necessary. On weekends, you can have lunch and dinner.
Other restrictions
The essence of Lent is to prepare the soul for the holiday of Easter. In addition to abstinence, there are other prohibitions:
- You should abandon any kind of entertainment - watching movies and TV shows, listening to music, participating in various games, including computer ones.
- It is necessary to exclude intimacy even with a legitimate husband or wife.
- It is necessary to give up smoking, drinking alcohol and other bad habits.
It is important to pray daily, regularly attend church services, and help poor people. It is necessary to get rid of anger and aggression, show humility, and not enter into conflicts with other people.
Before you start Lent in 2020, consult your doctor if you have health problems.
What you can eat in Lent: every day menu
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