Many people are interested in: what you can eat in fasting on Holy Week (from April 13 to April 18, 2020). During the days of Great Lent, believers remember the events that took place about two thousand years ago - the forty days that Jesus Christ spent in the wilderness, His sufferings (passions), death and burial.
At this time, it is forbidden to include animal products in the diet. These are meat and any meat dishes, fish and fish products, milk and all products based on it, eggs. In addition, during this period you can not drink alcoholic beverages.
Pay attention to ingredients on food labels to avoid animal ingredients found in chocolate, baked goods, fast food, and more.
What can you eat while fasting on Holy Week?
We will talk about the diet in Holy Week by day. What can you eat on Holy Week? AT Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week(April 13, 14 and 15, 2020 respectively) you must refrain from cooking, that is, limit yourself to raw vegetables and fruits.
Food should be taken only once a day, an exception is made for children, sick people and the elderly. During the day, you can drink unsweetened tea, herbal infusions and other drinks without sugar.
AT Maundy Thursday(April 16, 2020) you can eat hot food twice a day, add vegetable oil to dishes and drink some wine - in memory of the last meal of Jesus Christ with his disciples, when he predicted the betrayal of one of them.
AT Good Friday(April 17, 2020) You can’t eat until the shroud is taken out in the temple. You should talk to your confessor about the possibility of observing a strict fast.
With a less strict diet in Holy Week, you can include raw dishes in the menu, that is, not subjected to heat treatment: vegetables and fruits, dried fruits, nuts.
Holy Saturday April 18 (for 2020) until the first star appears is also considered the time of strict fasting, then dry eating is recommended. On this day, it is customary to consecrate Easter food in churches.
How to eat right during Holy Week?
As the monks say, the laity in fasting should not exhaust themselves with hunger, but refrain from overeating. Lenten menu can be designed so that it includes dishes familiar to you, but without ingredients that are of animal origin.
After all, food during Holy Week is not the main thing, and the main meaning of fasting is not dietary restrictions.
The meaning lies in repentance and spiritual renewal, and abstinence from food only contributes to this. Believers should first of all strive for spiritual purification by doing good deeds and spending time in prayer.
Great Saturday is considered the last day of fasting, and on the following Resurrection of Christ, no restrictions on food are expected. The fast that believers observe ends at midnight on the eve of the holiday, from the moment the priests symbolically open the doors of the temple.
Holy Week is a preparation for the celebration of Easter. This period is also called Holy Week. A week before the holiday, Orthodox people pray for the remission of sins, and also remember the martyrdom of our Savior, who paid for the sins of mankind with his pain and life. That is why the last week of fasting is the most strict. Consider what Holy Week is, what you can eat daily for the laity, as well as the general rules for eating during this period.
General dietary rules for Holy Week
On Holy Week before Easter, any food of animal origin is excluded. The exception is honey, which can be consumed on almost all days of Lent. However, you should pay attention to jelly and jellied vegetables, which are made on the basis of beef cartilage. If you want to include these dishes in your diet, you need to cook them on the basis of agar-agar or other similar substances of plant origin.
During the last week of Lent, food should be taken only once a day. Only children, the elderly, as well as patients who suffer from diseases that involve fractional nutrition can neglect this rule. To relieve the feeling of hunger, you can drink tea, herbal decoctions and other unsweetened drinks throughout the day.
When using store-bought products, you should carefully read their composition. Indeed, some products may contain components of animal origin. During the fasting period, it is better to stop eating sweets, chocolate, marshmallows, chewing gum, white bread and milk marshmallows.
In Holy Week, most people adhere to the principle of a raw food diet. This means that you can only eat foods that have not been subjected to heat treatment. The only product that is allowed to be consumed on all days of Holy Week is bread.
It is believed that during this period even birds do not sing, therefore people should abstain not only from food, but also from life's joys. A week before Easter, it is forbidden to engage in hard physical labor, swearing, attending entertainment events, using profanity, as well as condemning loved ones and quarreling. Holy Week is dedicated to prayers, reflection on the life and suffering of the Savior.
Features of food in Holy Week by day
Each day of the last week before the Bright Holiday has its own characteristics that must be taken into account when compiling the menu.
Great Monday
It is the most difficult day of Lent. It is on this day that the transition to a one-time meal takes place. Monks and other strongly religious people on this day prefer to completely refrain from eating food. Among what the laity can eat on this day, one should highlight bread, dried, pickled or canned vegetables, fresh and dried fruits, and mushrooms. Drinks on this day can only be drunk cold. You can eat only once a day. This should be done in the evening after the house and yard are cleaned.
Maundy Tuesday
On this day, you are allowed to eat only once a day. The monks on this day ate only raw vegetables and fruits. For the laity there is an indulgence. Hot food is allowed. Adding vegetable oil to ready meals or cooking food on them is prohibited. On Tuesday it is customary to do laundry.
Great Wednesday
Strongly believing people and monks on this day completely abstain from food, using only water. For the laity, Wednesday is a day of dry eating. It is allowed to include raw fruits and vegetables, pickled, soaked and pickled mushrooms, fruits and vegetables, as well as bread in the diet. Drinks should be cold and without added sugar.
On Wednesday, it is customary to prepare food for the preparation of Easter dishes. Also on this day, it is customary to take out all the garbage from the house, sort and sort out things that have not been used for a long time. Great Wednesday is the day of confession. Therefore, you need to mentally ask the Lord for forgiveness of sins.
Maundy Thursday
On Thursday, the post will be eased. On this day, it is allowed to eat hot food with the addition of vegetable oil. In addition, you can eat food twice a day, and even drink a glass of dry red wine in the evening. On this day, all work on cleaning the house and yard for Easter was completed, and rituals were also held to exorcise evil spirits.
On Maundy Thursday, it is customary to wash windows, and throw small change into this water so that the year is successful and prosperous. On this day, housewives are engaged in baking Easter cakes, painting eggs, as well as preparations for other Easter dishes.
An important ritual of this day is washing at dawn. Then you need to put on clean or even completely new clothes. This rite symbolizes the cleansing of the body and soul from sins. Also on this day, after bathing, it is necessary to put a bag of salt, which will be lit for Easter. It is customary to keep it in the house throughout the year to protect against diseases and the evil eye.
Good Friday
A day of deep sorrow for every Orthodox person. On this day, it is recommended to completely refuse food. Relief is allowed only for children, the sick and the elderly. For those who cannot completely go without food throughout the day, you can eat some bread after the evening service.
Holy Saturday
On this day, you must continue to abstain from food. You can eat some bread, raw fruits and vegetables. On Saturday, work continues to prepare for the great holiday. After that, people go to the All-Night Service.
Easter
On this day, questions about what you can eat and drink, and what you can’t, no longer arise. On this day, you can not deny yourself any food. However, the first thing you need to try eggs and Easter cakes. This is a bright holiday, so it is customary to walk, have fun, visit guests and host relatives.
In this article, we looked at what the laity can eat on Holy Week. Do not forget that each person should adhere to fasting to the best of their ability and health. After all, the main thing is prayers, the rejection of fun and carnal pleasures.
Holy Week is usually referred to as the sixth week of Great Lent, after which one of the brightest holidays in Christianity, Great Easter, comes. During Passion Week, it is customary to remember the last days of Jesus Christ's life on earth, how he suffered, then was crucified on the cross, died, and subsequently resurrected.
The Church especially honors these days, and believers strive to spend them in spiritual reflections and prayers, without quarrels, offenses and bad deeds, they try to attend church services more often.
What are the dates of Holy Week in 2018
In 2018, Easter is celebrated on April 8, respectively, Holy Week will precede this date. On April 1, believers will celebrate the feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, or Palm Sunday, and from Monday, April 2, until Great Saturday, April 7 (which this year, by the way, coincides with another important Christian holiday, the Annunciation), and Holy Week will last .
How to eat on Holy Week
First of all, it must be emphasized that during this last week of fasting, alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited. You can’t attend entertainment events, watch funny films, quarrel with other people and just keep evil, negativity in your soul.
All this should be disposed of in time, in which, among other things, bodily fasting helps. There is a strict ban on all animal products, even meat. Also, it is during Holy Week that fasting prohibits the use of vegetable oil, and if possible, salt should also be abandoned.
On the 43rd day of Great Lent, on Clean Monday, it is recommended to adhere to dry eating. On this day, you can eat raw, boiled, pickled vegetables and bread. All food should be cooked without vegetable oil. You can also eat nuts, berries, dried fruits. Sati is allowed, which is natural honey dissolved in a glass of water.
On Great Tuesday, the 44th day of Lent, one should also adhere to a dry diet. However, according to the Typicon, boiled porridge and dried fruit compote are also allowed on this day instead of full.
Great Wednesday, the 45th day of Lent also dictates its own traditions. On this day, you can eat only boiled and fresh vegetables, bread, light soups prepared without vegetable oil and meat, and also drink full.
46th day of Lent - Maundy Thursday. On this day, for the laity and believers, a slight indulgence is given. On Thursday, you can cook food using vegetable oil. Hot soups, salads with vegetable oil are allowed. All kinds of cereals, dried fruit compotes are excluded from the strict taboo.
A slight indulgence in food, given on Thursday, is replaced by a complete refusal to eat on Good Friday, also called Good Friday. On this day, according to Christian canons, it is worth completely abandoning food. For old people, people suffering from certain ailments, the Typicon gives a slight indulgence. These Christians can eat about 200 grams of bread with water. Lay people who cannot completely refuse to eat food are advised to adhere to dry eating.
On Holy Saturday, the laity should also adhere to dry eating. And devout people and monks are still allowed to eat only a few slices of bread and water or refuse to eat at all.
A more strict diet, which true believers and monks must adhere to, is as follows: on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday - a complete fast, only in the evening you can drink a glass of warm water. On Wednesday and Thursday you can drink a full glass, eat a few spoonfuls of raisins and about 200 grams of bread.
The strict fast, which lasted 48 days, ends on Sunday. This day of the week marks the end of Lent. On Easter, all prohibitions on modest food of animal origin are lifted. On the Great Sunday of Christ, the breaking of the fast takes place, you can eat eggs painted in advance, as well as Easter cakes. The fast is over, and now you can eat meat, fish, dairy products, cheeses, butter again.
Customs and Traditions for Holy Week
On Good Monday, the first day of Passion Week, you need to put your house in order: paint something, fix it, etc.
In the old days, on this day, the peasants went out into the street early in the morning and noticed what the day would be like. If the sky was clear, and the sun seemed to play on it, then the summer promised to be good, the harvest - rich, and all the weddings played this year - happy. Knowledgeable people on this day washed themselves with gold, silver and eggs in order to keep their youth longer and not know the lack of money.
On Maundy Tuesday, it is customary to prepare festive clothes for Holy Sunday.
On the Wednesday of Passion Week, according to tradition, a general cleaning was carried out in the house. No wonder the next day is called Maundy Thursday.
On Maundy Thursday, it is necessary to bring the so-called passionate candle from the church, which helps in the treatment of various diseases. On the same day, Thursday salt is prepared - ordinary salt is baked in the oven, and then consecrated in the church. Such salt has amazing healing properties, with its help you can then help yourself and your loved ones get rid of all kinds of diseases, if, God forbid, they overcome you. Also, such salt is an excellent talisman for the family, home, livestock, garden, etc. From Maundy Thursday until Easter, nothing is given from the house.
On this day, housewives prepare pysanky, krashenka and a dish of cottage cheese, called Easter. The appearance of cottage cheese Easter on the festive table is not accidental. From ancient times, milk (and dairy products), along with bread (Kulich), was revered as a sacral, sacred food. Our ancestors endowed milk with healing properties and associated it with such concepts as strength and fertility.
Ever since pagan times, eggs in Russia were perceived as a symbol of rebirth and renewal, fertility and vitality, and an egg painted red was considered a sign of the Sun - a mighty luminary that gives life to everything on Earth.
Thursday of Holy Week is very significant and has great magical power. On this day, there are many different signs and, of course, rituals. From the very early morning in every family, everyone tries to wash themselves with “silver”, that is, with a silver coin or spoon. According to legend, such washing gives a person not only good health, but also beauty. Patients on Maundy Thursday are washed from the "silver pieces" borrowed from their neighbors. The strongest silver coin is the one that was stolen. They do not spend such a coin, but cherish it: they are treated with it, bewitched and fortune-telling on it.
On Good Friday, when, according to church tradition, Christ was crucified and died on the Cross, believers should not eat food. On the same day, the housewives prepare Easter cakes. Before you get to work, read "Our Father", and then with the words "Lord, bless" start kneading the dough. Remember: in order for the cake to turn out lush and tasty, no one should see the dough, and when it is in the oven, you can’t talk loudly and slam the door.
On the last Friday before Easter, wipe all the fragility in the house with a rag and put it away from prying eyes. Such a rag is usually used to treat patients with a lower back (tie it around the waist) and legs (wipe them after washing in the bath). And the stove ash taken on this day helps in the treatment of alcohol, zma, the evil eye and death anguish.
Holy Saturday is a day of sorrow when believers mourn for the Savior. It is on this day in the evening that Easter services begin in churches. If for some reason you cannot attend the vigil, then you still should not go to bed.
Passion Week for believing Christians is a special period, not only the most difficult for the body, but also the brightest for the soul. Translated from the Church Slavonic language, "passions" mean "trials and sufferings." Passion Week is dedicated to events in the dying days of Christ's earthly life: the Last Supper, betrayal, suffering, crucifixion, burial and resurrection. The Holy Week before Easter is popularly called Red and Pure Week.
Days of Passion Week
Each day of Holy Week begins with the name "Great", has its own grandeur and significance.
Holy Monday reminds us of the Old Testament Patriarch Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, as a prototype of the suffering of Jesus Christ. The curse of a barren fig tree is also recalled, symbolically showing the soul of a person without the fruits of faith, repentance and works of mercy.
On Great Tuesday, parables are read about the denunciation of the Pharisees and scribes, uttered by Jesus in the Jerusalem temple.
On Great Wednesday, the church remembers the betrayal of Jesus by his disciple Judas for 30 pieces of silver. Even on this day, a story is read about a sinner who prepared Jesus for burial, washing him with her tears and precious peace.
On Maundy Thursday, a passage from the Bible is read in churches about the Last Supper, how the Savior washed the feet of the apostles.
Good Friday speaks of the torment and death of Christ on the Cross.
On Great Saturday, the service speaks of the presence of Christ in the tomb, the consecration of Easter food is underway. On Saturday, an amazing and inexplicable phenomenon takes place in Jerusalem - the convergence of the blessed fire.
Benefits of fasting
The observance of the Orthodox fast gives a very great benefit to the human body. Some perceive it as a diet and suggest that it is only useful for people who are overweight. This is not true. This post is helpful for everyone. mainly consists of cereals, fruits and vegetables containing a lot of fiber. Such food, like a universal cleaner, rids the body of toxins and toxins, normalizes weight and makes the body healthier. And well strengthen the body. Reducing the volume of the stomach during fasting reduces the need for food, especially since fasting food is very healthy and nutritious. Fasting is good for the sick and the healthy, the thin and the fat. There is an opinion that Orthodox fasts are difficult to observe, many expect hunger pangs. This is not true. Those who try to fast are often surprised by the feeling of fullness without meat products. No pills will help cleanse and heal the body like fasting. Nowadays, it is easy to diversify fast food with a variety of recipes. Therefore, the question of what to eat on Holy Week does not cause a problem.
Features of fasting days in Holy Week
Especially strict fast days pass before Easter. After a long forty day fast, they are a great test. But the sweeter the holiday for those who were able to curb their womb. The Holy Week before Easter urges us to adhere to the fast of the second degree - dry eating. At the same time, the usual rules include: the rejection of meat and vegetable oil, cooking is added without any heat treatment (boiling or frying), and on Friday and Saturday, complete abstinence from any food is prescribed. However, this is a prescription of a strict monastic order. Orthodox Christians take a blessing for this from a priest. Fasting days should be spent according to strength and health. This process can be of different degrees:
- refusal of meat;
- plus the rejection of dairy products, including cheeses and butter;
- plus the rejection of eggs and all dishes with their participation;
- plus the rejection of fish, etc.
In addition, during fasting, it is necessary to reduce the volume of dishes, and especially during Holy Week.
Holy Week Menu
The modern church charter is based on the rules for monks. For the fasting laity, there is a charter - the ancient Russian Typik, which has been used since the 12th century. It spells out what to eat on Holy Week, because the laity need to act "according to their strength" - in accordance with different life situations. There are concessions for the elderly, the sick, pregnant and lactating women, children, etc.
You should strive to eat once a day. Food should consist of raw vegetables with bread and water. Even with such strict rules, under which Holy Week takes place, the menu can be quite varied.
On Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, dry food is prescribed - cold food without vegetable oil, unheated drink.
Breakfast: vegetable or fruit salads, such as cabbage-prune or apple-cabbage with orange sauce, or sprinkled with coconut-orange ambrosia.
Lunch: beet or carrot salad, potatoes with mushrooms or grated carrots with oranges.
Dinner: spicy carrots, pickles, carrot-nut salad.
If you cook the proposed dishes, or cook something of your own, keep in mind that if oil is present in the recipe, simply exclude it.
On Maundy Thursday, it is allowed to take boiled vegetables with butter and a little wine.
Breakfast: apple soup with apricot, apple or jam.
Dinner: "Colorful salad", soups from vegetables or dried fruits, sweet pie with berries.
Dinner: vegetable salt or stew with vegetables and rice,
On Friday we try to abstain from food in general. Only at three o'clock in the morning is it allowed to take a little bread and water.
On Saturday, too, if possible, you should abstain from food. If this is difficult for you, you can make a menu like this:
Breakfast: oatmeal soup with quince or cold soups with dried fruits, bread.
Lunch: potato soup, cabbage rolls with prunes and rice.
Dinner: bean soup with sweet pepper or mushroom soup.
When considering soup recipes, vegetable oil is easily excluded if the recommended products are not fried on it, but stewed in water or immediately added to the soup without additional heat treatment.
What not to do during Holy Week
According to the traditions of the Orthodox Church, Christians spent this week in prayer, kept the strictest fast, and tried to attend church every day. There was even a ban on loud conversations, laughter, singing songs and fun. Today, Great Lent, and especially the strict rules of Holy Week, are observed by a few, and even fewer attend church. The Church teaches that refusing to eat certain foods means little without spiritual fasting. It consists of prayers, doing good deeds, good thoughts, and so on. If there is a desire to fast, and you are thinking about what is on Holy Week, remember the words of Theophan the Recluse: “Fasting seems gloomy until they enter its field ...”.
Spiritual fasting has its own “menu”: under it, a person “... evades anger, rage, malice and revenge, evades idle talk, foul language, idle talk, slander, condemnation, flattery, lies and all slander... a real faster is one who flees from all evil... ", the Holy Church commands.
During Great Lent, and especially during Holy Week, sexual activity is also prohibited. Kisses of husband and wife are allowed only in the dark. What is not allowed during Holy Week is to sing, have fun, dance, laugh, attend any entertainment and entertainment events, holidays, birthdays and weddings, and give up extraneous thoughts. According to the monastery charter, it is forbidden to sit down at the table more than once a day, this is allowed only after sunset. On Good Friday, it is also not recommended to do housework and wash.
Therefore, taking part in the preparations for the most important Christian holiday, think not only about what to eat on Holy Week, but also how to fast spiritually.
Easter Week Traditions
This week is full of traditions and rituals for every day, it is customary to start putting things in order not only in the soul, but also in the house. During Holy Week, a thorough general cleaning of the house was carried out - ceilings were whitewashed, walls were painted, rugs were washed, curtains were starched. The most beautiful tablecloths and napkins were taken from chests and chests of drawers.
There is a beautiful tradition on the Annunciation to release birds into the wild. In 2015, this holiday fell on Maundy Tuesday. Today, the clergy symbolically release tame pigeons into the wild. Animal rights activists recommend not buying wild birds from hunters and poachers who are trying to profit from the suffering and death of birds in this way, since birds often die after the stress of captivity.
The last week of the Great Easter Lent is called Passion. This week got its name from the word “suffering”, “torment”.
What to eat on Holy Week
This is similarly described in the gospels of various saints. The events of Holy Week include the Last Supper, the Gethsemane Prayer, Judas' betrayal, the Pharisees' trial of Jesus, the ascent to Golgotha, the execution, death, and subsequent Resurrection of our Savior.
Many believers do not know exactly what you can eat on Holy Week, what indulgences are allowed, and on what days especially strict restrictions must be observed. We offer you a similar description of the week for each day in two versions - for devout believers and for the laity.
This week, even those to whom the priest has given a blessing for relief during Lent due to illness or old age are advised not to eat meat and dairy foods and eggs.
Monday
A strict fast prescribes not to eat anything on this day in the morning, but at sunset you can eat bread, porridge on water without adding oil, but with sugar or jam, vegetables stewed on water, tea or compote.
You can drink water throughout the day.
Lay people and those to whom a clergyman allows relief are allowed boiled food with the addition of sunflower oil, tea, coffee, compote or juices throughout the day. Porridges, soups, meatless gingerbread, everything is prepared without meat and dairy products.
In 2019, there will be an ordinary day of strict fasting. You can eat boiled food without adding sunflower oil, drink tea with sugar or jam.
Wednesday and at the usual time is considered a fast day, and in Holy Week it is especially strict. Devout believers should not eat boiled food, drink only water during the day, after sunset you can eat bread and tea or compote. You can sweeten, but do not add jam. From food in the evening they eat only raw, not subjected to heat treatment.
Lay people are allowed to eat boiled food, but without the use of sunflower oil. Lean soups, stewed or baked vegetables, baked goods made from unleavened dough. You can drink tea, coffee, juices, compotes and kissels, of course, without adding milk.
An ordinary day of strict fasting. You can eat boiled food without adding sunflower oil, drink tea with sugar or jam.
Lay people are allowed to cook in sunflower oil, but without the addition of dairy and meat products, as well as eggs.
The most terrible day in the history of Christianity on the eve of Easter. You can't eat anything at all. Even those who have received an indulgence in fasting in nutrition are advised to abstain from food as long as possible, preferably before sunset. You can only drink water. If there is no strength to eat nothing, then it is allowed to have a snack with a slice of bread with water or any fruit (vegetable).
It is advisable to refrain from boiled food as much as possible, especially for those who will participate in the Procession, and take communion at the Altar. You can have breakfast with bread and water or tea, and have a snack with vegetables for lunch.
Lay people can eat boiled food without the use of sunflower oil, eggs, dairy products and meat in its preparation. That's all you can eat on Holy Week during Lent.
Sunday
Great. This is the most important holiday for Christians. Christ is Risen! All Christians rejoice and rejoice at the miraculous resurrection of our Savior. On this day, you can eat everything. Rich tables are laid, on which there must be cottage cheese Easter, Easter eggs and Easter cakes. Traditionally, horseradish, a piece of bacon and homemade sausage should be on the table.
Happy Easter to you!