The first week of Lent is especially strict. Some find it necessary to eat a little each day after sunset.

The Church's traditional teaching on fasting is not widely known or followed in our day. Orthodox fasting rules are observed strictly by monastics and, especially during Lent, by many clergy and laypeople. While most Orthodox Christians are perhaps aware of the general rules of fasting for Great Lent, the rules for the other fasting periods are less known.

The Fasting Rule of the Orthodox Church. The rules do not apply, however, to young children, the elderly, or anyone whose health may be jeopardized by a change in diet. No meat is allowed after Meatfare Sunday, and no eggs or dairy products after Cheesefare Sunday. These rules are intended for all Orthodox Christians, not just monks and nuns.

Fasting refers to restrictions on the quantity of food eaten and when it is consumed, while abstinence refers to the complete avoidance of particular foods. The Fasting Rule of the Orthodox Church. The rules we use in the Russian Orthodox Church today, for example, largely come from the Monastery of Saint Sabbas near Jerusalem. For those Orthodox Christians who are seeking to keep a more disciplined fast, the following information may be helpful. Within this developed pattern of Lent, what precisely do the rules of fasting demand? For those Orthodox Christians who are seeking to keep a more disciplined fast, the following information may be helpful. While most Orthodox Christians are perhaps aware of the general rule of fasting for Great Lent and the Dormition Fast (wine and oil allowed only on Saturdays and Sundays, except for a few feast days and vigils), many are probably not familiar with the precise rule governing the less severe fast of the Nativity and Apostles' Fast. In practice, very few people are able to do this. Besides the additional liturgical celebrations described below, Orthodox Christians are expected to pay closer attention to their private prayers and to say more of them more often.

Lent will last seven weeks, and about 2 percent of Russians, nearly 3 million people, intend to fully observe the strict dietary rules, reported Interfax, citing a Levada Center opinion poll. During the Apostles’ Fast and the Nativity Fast, the general rules are as follows (from Chapter 33 of the Typikon): In practice, very few people are able to do this. St. Katherines Greek Orthodox Church Redondo Beach, California The Rev. The rules are very specific and include fasting on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays during Lent. During the Dormition Fast, wine and oil are allowed only on Saturdays and Sundays (and sometimes on a few feast days and vigils). The first week of Lent is especially strict. While most Orthodox Christians are perhaps aware of the general rule of fasting for Great Lent and the Dormition Fast (wine and oil allowed only on Saturdays and Sundays, except for a few feast days and vigils), many are probably not familiar with the precise rule governing the less severe fast of the Nativity and Apostles' Fast.

Fr. Neither in ancient nor in modern times has there ever been exact uniformity, but most Orthodox authorities agree on the following rules: The Church's traditional teaching on fasting is not widely known or followed in our day. I heard of a new parish populated mostly by converts who took the late Holy Week rules literally, and by Holy Saturday they were … On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, a total fast is kept. Therefore, we shall quote this rule, from Chapter 33 of the Typicon: The Orthodox rules for lenten fasting are the monastic rules. These rules are intended for all Orthodox Christians, not just monks and nuns. However, the extreme fasting of late Holy Week is generally observed only by monastics. The Fathers have referred to fasting without prayer as "the fast of the demons" since the demons do not eat according to their incorporeal nature, but neither do they pray.

Some find it necessary to eat a little each day after sunset. There are also some local variations—usually relaxing the fast—that have to do with either memories of saints or life in northern climates. These rules exist not as a Pharisaic “burden too hard to bear” (Lk 11.46), but as an ideal to be striven for; not as an end in themselves, but as a means to spiritual perfection crowned in love.