The essence of fasting: Fasting for joy, or Does the relationship with God depend on meat? Lenten products. List of lean foods

Voluntary refusal of food, abstinence from any entertainment is called fasting. True Christians who want to reunite with make the decision to fast. But what can you eat during fasting to save energy for everyday life?

The essence of fasting

Many Orthodox, who are just starting their journey to God, believe that fasting is completely refusing to eat. But this is not entirely correct. First of all, you need to limit yourself from activities that carry idleness and pleasure:

• do not participate in entertainment festivities;
• refuse to watch entertainment programs;
• do not do bad deeds;
• not fulfill marital obligations;
• don't swear and don't gossip.

Secondly, you need to stop eating junk food. Only lean food is allowed.

There is a basic list of lean foods that can be eaten:

1. Various types of cereals: semolina, barley, buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, barley.
2. Any vegetables: potatoes, cabbage, onions, beets, carrots.
3. Fruits and berries.
4. Mushrooms.
5. Nuts: walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pine nuts.
6. Beekeeping products.
7. Canned vegetables, fruits and berries (compotes, jams, vegetable salads).
8. Condiments, spices and herbs (dill, parsley, Bay leaf, black and red pepper, cardamom, etc.)

You can eat during fasting, because this is a test, not a test for survival. In order for the body to fully function, it needs a sufficient amount of protein. And where to get it, if the meat is in fast days strictly prohibited? The answer is simple, you should replace meat products with those that contain vegetable protein. Legumes (beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peas) are especially enriched with this protein.

Try to cook lean soup their any kind of legumes, vegetables and cereals. Season with spices to taste, and you will realize that fasting can be delicious. But don't overeat. After all, excess food is a violation of fasting. You should eat everything in moderation, trying only to satisfy your hunger, and not to eat to satiety.

When can you eat fish during fasting?

Fish is a kind of product that is banned on strict days. To answer the question “When can I eat fish during fasting?”, You should study the basic rules for eating it.

Most often, fish can be included in your diet when fasting days coincide with big days. church holidays. For example, April 7 (Annunciation), the last Sunday before Easter (Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem), Saturday of Lazarus.

During the Dormition Fast, fish are allowed on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Petrov fasting allows you to eat fish on the following days: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.

During the Christmas fast, fish can be included in the menu on weekends: Saturday and Sunday.

Special rules apply to people with poor health. When talking with the priest, you can ask for relief, then you will be allowed to eat fish products at any time.

Meals on different days

During the week, you need to know on which days you should make an indulgence, and on which, on the contrary, you should completely refrain from food.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday are the days of the strictest fast. At this time, if possible, you should completely refuse food or you can afford to eat very little raw, uncooked foods. In addition, during these 3 days, vegetable oils should not be added to dishes. The main food is Rye bread, vegetables, fruits and unsweetened jelly or compote.

Tuesday and Thursday. On these days, it is allowed to eat food that can first be boiled or fried. But sunflower oil Again, adding is not allowed.

Saturday and Sunday. Relaxation days. You can cook your own soup or cook vegetable stew with the addition of fish and vegetable oil.

This post is the strictest and the longest. Therefore, before proceeding with its commission, you need to think about whether it will harm your health. Sick people and nursing mothers are allowed to eat even a little meat on fasting days.

You should refuse:

• from any kind of meat, fish and even seafood;
• dairy and sour-milk products, eggs and even egg powder;
• baking, as forbidden foods are added to the dough during cooking;
• mayonnaise and other sauces, if they contain milk or eggs;
• alcoholic beverages, as they have amusing properties.

It must be remembered that fasting people do not eat at all on the first day of Great Lent and every Friday.

In the first and last 7 days, you can eat only vegetables and fruits, and drink only fresh water.

On other days, honey, sunflower oil, and sometimes fish are allowed.

Are sweets allowed?

Some sweet lovers are wondering if you can sometimes drink tea with sugar or eat a bar of chocolate during fasting? The Church gives a positive answer.

During fasting, it is allowed to add sugar to food, in addition, you can eat bitter chocolate in small quantities without adding dairy components, dried berries, gozinaki, marmalade sweets and honey.

Some Orthodox believe that honey is undesirable. Especially this opinion is held by the Old Believers and monks. But church officials are not opposed to the fact that honey is present on the table of the Orthodox during fasting. They advise choosing buckwheat or linden varieties, as they contain many trace elements and vitamins.

Menu for one day of Lent

For people who have decided to start fasting for the first time, we can advise the following approximate meal plan:

• Breakfast: a piece of black bread, 250 g of any porridge cooked in water.
• Lunch: lettuce salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, seasoned with lemon juice and salt.
• Snack: one apple or pear. A glass of berry compote.
• Dinner: stew stewed vegetables: potatoes, cabbage and carrots.

According to the clergy, the most important thing is the purification of the soul. And the question “What can I eat during fasting” does not matter so much. The main thing is to sincerely believe that through spiritual and bodily abstinence we.

What is the point of the post?

Pro great post now everyone knows, and even some non-church people try to observe it. But hearing about others, especially summer posts, many are perplexed: what is the meaning of such a frequent refusal of pleasures? Sometimes for Orthodox post, which seemed in the years of neophyteism as something significant and deep, eventually turns into a duty. Mistresses are getting more trouble in the kitchen, more money is spent ... So what is the point of the post? How to fast for the benefit of the soul? Famous priests answer these questions.

During fasting, many advise not only to refuse fast food, but also to devote culinary issues less attention. In fact, it is fasting that becomes a test for the hostess. More money is spent (lean foods are more expensive), all thoughts are only about how to feed her husband and children. When there is no post, it’s easier, more choice, you don’t have to think about it all the time. Is it right?

Archpriest Valerian KRECHETOV, Rector of the Church of the Intercession Holy Mother of God Akulovo village, Moscow region, confessor of the Moscow diocese:

- The present vegetable nutrition generally free. Of course, you can't grow anything on concrete in the city, but in countryside enough to have a patch of land to have everything you need. Our cooks rest during the Dormition Fast in the temple: they go out to the garden, pick nettles, gouts, onions, choose a few potatoes - and vegetable soup ready! Fast, tasty, healthy! We treat gout and nettles like weeds, but Reverend Seraphim Sarovsky ate only gossip for two years! Everyone is throwing away beet tops now, they forgot about this delicious dish like boots. In fact, tops are edible and useful not only from beets, but also from carrots, from turnips.

And for the winter it is necessary to harvest vegetables, mushrooms, sorrel. Then, during the Great Lent, you will always have delicious lean cabbage soup on your table. And for the second there is nothing better and healthier than porridge. Buckwheat, oatmeal, millet, barley (by the way, the favorite porridge of Peter I and Suvorov). I wonder what quick dish is cheaper than porridge? But porridge does not require any special art. The problem is that we have completely lost the culture of food. Put buckwheat, cottage cheese, milk on the holiday for children - they will not touch anything. But they will drink all the Coca-Cola and eat all the chips. They have with early years spoiled taste. And housewives with the same spoiled taste prefer not to strain, they buy semi-finished products in the supermarket, it is not known what they are made of.

The fable "Dragonfly and Ant" is still relevant. Some work, prepare for Lent, prepare pickles for the winter, freeze fresh vegetables, so that they can eat delicious food during Lent. healthy food, others do not bother themselves, do not even want to show their imagination, they themselves eat whatever is horrible and force the household. But cooking is very interesting, I would love to cook it myself, but there is not enough time. So I know that academician-surgeon Alexander Fedorovich Chernousov always harvests pepper himself in the fall, his wife does everything only under his command. And I know many men who cook better than their halves.

Probably, lean semi-finished products are expensive - I don’t know, I don’t eat. There are even more important problem than expenses. We have forgotten about the main purpose of food. Socrates said: many people live to eat, but I eat to live. Food is given to us for life, to maintain bodily strength. And plant foods, of course, are more suitable for this, they are healthier and healthier. For example, scientists have calculated that porcini mushroom soup is seven times healthier than meat soup of the same calorie content. We are no smarter than our ancestors, who fasted and were much healthier than us.

I'm not talking about the fact that meat (and sometimes, alas, fish) products that are sold today in stores, as a rule, simply cannot be eaten. What fed the same broiler? It is better not to think, but to eat healthy plant foods from your garden. Once we received a bishop during Great Lent. White mushrooms, chanterelles, honey mushrooms, boletus, milk mushrooms, and mushrooms stood separately on the table. Tell me, has at least one millionaire seen such a platter on his table? I doubt.

Is it necessary to eat tasteless food in fasting?

Lean products can be prepared fine dining. Isn't this a sin? Maybe it’s right to refuse not only fast food, but also tasty food in general?

Archpriest Alexander BORISOV, Rector of the Church of the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian in Shubin (Moscow):

- You can diversify lean food so much that you don’t even want to break the fast. Especially during the Assumption Lent - at the end of summer there are a lot of cheap vegetables and fruits. But this post is meaningless. After all, the essence of fasting is not just the rejection of animal food, but the restriction of pleasures. By deliberately depriving ourselves of the comfort we receive from delicious food and wine, we become more sensitive to the spiritual life. If a person is concerned about how to eat more exquisitely, he is not up to the spiritual. Although he refuses animal food, he does not receive the joy of life in the Lord. Everything has its time. Fasting ends - a holiday comes, and we rejoice, cover festive table, we invite guests, treat them with delicious food, together we praise the Lord, including thanking him for a delicious meal, because this is also a gift from God. And taking care of food during fasting should take a minimum of time. But artificially making food tasteless is not only not necessary, but also sinful - we eat for the glory of God! Lean food should be simple, healthy and quick to prepare. And do not forget about moderation - if you eat to satiety with simple potatoes, you will also not have time for prayer, not for reading the Gospel, not for thinking about the eternal.

- We enjoy everything in life - from every flower, from the sun, from the singing of birds, the rustle of leaves. Yes, and from the fact that we just breathe. Why not live? It just takes discretion. It is normal to enjoy the reasonable satisfaction of needs. Sin - when this satisfaction turns into passion, we want to be sated more and more, to eat more and more sophisticated. The first is gluttony, the second is guttural insanity.

Of course, fasting implies a restriction of pleasures, but only deep prayer books and ascetics can eat completely tasteless food and not notice it. For the majority of people, especially the laity, it is difficult even in fasting without consolation at all. Often people, especially beginners, after reading about the exploits of the saints, try to imitate them outwardly, including fasting very strictly, ruthlessly towards themselves, and as a result fall into despondency, some even nervous breakdowns bring themselves up. We need a measure that everyone has their own. Food should be simple, but quite satisfying and tasty. A simple person cannot eat without pleasure.

Archpriest Valerian KRECHETOV:

- The priest Athanasius (Sakharov) said: "Eat at least tasty, but lean food." Eating tasteless is not our measure. On Monday of the first week of Great Lent, the sticheron is sung: “Let us fast with a pleasant fast, pleasing to the Lord: there is a true fast, alienation of the evil, abstinence of the tongue, abhorrence of rage, excommunication of lusts, utterances, lies and perjury. These are impoverishment, there is a true fast, and favorable. My father, Archpriest Michael, always said at the meal during Great Lent: “We fast with a pleasant fast,” and he stopped there.

How to behave when visiting?

What to do if you are invited to visit on a post? It is not always possible to refuse without offending loved ones. Ask them in advance to have fast food on the table, or be guided by the fact that love is higher than fasting? More often we choose the latter, but isn't there cunning in this?

Archpriest Konstantin OSTROVSKII, rector of the Assumption Church in the city of Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, dean of the churches of the Krasnogorsk region:

— In the meat-packing parent Saturday an apostolic reading is prescribed, which says: “If one of the unbelievers calls you and you want to go, then eat everything that is offered to you without any research, for the peace of your conscience. But if anyone says to you, This is food offered to idols, then do not eat…” (1 Corinthians 10:27-28). We usually neglect this admonition of the Apostle Paul due to pride, voluptuousness and cowardice.

Here are two typical situations. We came to visit people who know that we are observing fasts, and who know that it is a fast day, but the hosts, despising church charters, persuade us: “Come on, you are visiting, it’s okay if you break the fast once.” And we, partly out of voluptuousness, and partly out of cowardice, do not get tired of temptation and, in condemnation of ourselves, we eat food that is pure in itself, but our gluttony and human pleasing make it “sacrificial to idols,” about which the apostle Paul said: “Do not eat.”

And here is the second example. People who are completely non-church treat us from the heart, not having the intention of seducing, but simply not knowing about our rules. But we puff out our cheeks from arrogance or draw them in from false humility and refuse to eat, embarrassing our hosts. Or maybe if they heard the gospel of Christ and saw in us sincere love and humility, they themselves would want to become Christians, and then they would already observe fasts. But, seeing our pride and not wanting to become like us, will they involuntarily blaspheme the Church of God, which is not really to blame for the fact that we roam among secular guests during Lent and neglect the instructions of the holy Apostle Paul?

If, when visiting non-church people, we deviate from fasting so as not to embarrass them, this is a matter of humility, and if, when we come home, we continue to eat meat, this is no longer a matter of humility, but gluttony. This, of course, is about food, and not about drunkenness, which is always sinful: both in fasting and not in fasting.

What food is considered lean?

By what principle are products divided into more or less modest? On many days of the Christmas and Petrov fasts, the eating of fish is blessed. Why is it considered less modest than dairy products?

Hegumen GERMOGEN (Ananiev):

- The strictest post is dry eating. Indulgences go in the following order: boiled food, sunflower oil, wine, fish, dairy products and eggs, meat. No wonder - mammals were created with man on the same day. For the same reason, we consider dairy products to be more modest food than fish - they are also part of the flesh of mammals.

Archpriest Alexander BORISOV:

- It is right to spend less money on food than usual during fasting, freeing up funds for charity. This is an old church tradition, and gradation is associated with it. meatless dishes. In places of early Christianity, fish and seafood were much cheaper than dairy products, and therefore were considered more lean. In our time, on the contrary, they are much more expensive and high in calories - for me, as a biologist, this is obvious. There is more protein in fish than in any other dairy product. Perhaps it is worth revisiting a tradition born in other climatic and economic conditions, and swap fish with dairy products - that is, consider dairy products more lean. But this can only be decided by a council.

Does meat depend on relationship with God?

Many non-church people do not understand when Orthodox friends refuse fast food during fasting. They say something like this: “What does it matter to God if I eat meat? How might giving up meat affect my relationship with Him?”

Priest Sergiy PASHKOV, Rector of the Epiphany Church in the village of Byki, Kurchatov District Kursk region, head of the judo section for children and adolescents in the village of Makarovka, Kurchatov district:

- In one patericon I read about an old man who, when he fell ill in old age, began to eat meat on the advice of doctors. He was a monk, and monks, as you know, don't eat meat at all. And his own brother, a layman, in his heart began to condemn the elder for this, thinking to himself: it would be better if he died from his illness than violated the monastic tradition. And one day he heard the voice of God: “Why do you condemn your brother? If you want to know what he became like for his inner life look to the right." He turned and saw his brother crucified on the cross. That is, in his inner dispensation, the elder was like Christ, and the meat he ate did not harm his spiritual life in the least. Food does not distance us from God or bring us closer to Him. The purpose of fasting is to refrain from passions, from condemning one's neighbor, and the rejection of fast food is only a means to achieve this goal.

Archpriest Alexy POTOKIN, Assistant Rector of the Church of the Icon Mother of God « Life-Giving Source» in Tsaritsyn (Moscow):

- If you once fell in love, remember if you were very worried at that moment what you would eat for lunch or dinner? I think not very much, because when a person is truly in love, the need for food weakens, he gives it a minimum of attention and time. And if I have love for God, His wisdom, beauty, holiness pleases me, I am glad that I have the opportunity to be alone with Him, putting aside all worries, forgetting bad habits. Abstinence is not an end in itself, but a way to reconnect with God as with an old friend. This is possible only if we control ourselves, our bad habits.

Before the fall, man was pure; in the form of an angel, he listened to the Word of God, heard Him. And then he ate only plant foods. For us, this condition is rare. We are cunning, selfish, irritable. Any doctor will tell you that when a person is irritated, angry at someone, he spends much more energy. So meat and other animal food were blessed by God to support the strength of a fallen person, spiritually weak, passionate. But it is the bodily strength that strengthens this food, and in order to restore connection with God, it is necessary to humble our flesh at least for a while so that it does not excite us so much.

If I want to communicate more with God, I need to at least a little distract from the public fuss, pay a little less attention to it. And the rejection of animal food helps this. The gospel teaches us not to fight against excesses, but encourages us to look for treasure: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). If it is a treasure in fellowship with another person, we naturally think less about satiation. Especially if our treasure is in communion with God. And after you have been alone with God, it is great to sit down for a common festive meal. The lost connection has been restored, love has returned to the heart, the world has sparkled with all colors, and we are celebrating, glorifying the Lord!

In products that are forbidden to be eaten during fasts, everything for the production of which raw materials of animal origin were used. First of all, the ban applies to meat and any meat products, as well as poultry and eggs. Under the ban milk and everything connected with it: butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, dairy products and drinks, cheeses. In fasting, it is forbidden to eat pasta, white and rich bread, cakes, cookies, waffles and any pastries that contain butter, eggs and milk. Do not forget, there is also mayonnaise, because eggs are also used for its preparation.

Certain foods such as fish and vegetable oil, you can eat only on those days of fasting, which are considered non-strict, although vegetable oil does not have animal origin. The ban also applies to chocolate and fast food, which are high in fat. Alcoholic beverages, including beer, should not be consumed during fasting.

Post by day of the week

On some days of the week, fasting may be more strict, and on some, including those that fall on, some indulgences can be allowed. So, Monday, Wednesday and Friday are the days of strict fasting, dry eating. These days, you can only eat foods that have not been cooked, and the addition of vegetable oil is also excluded. On the days of strict fasting, you can eat only black bread, vegetables and fruits, washed down with water or unsweetened compote. If you will be salads these days, you can use only lemon juice mixed with a little honey for dressing.

During fasting, you should not starve, especially if you have not denied yourself food before. This is fraught with problems with bile secretion and erosive processes in the gastrointestinal tract.

Hot dishes can be eaten on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but on these days it is forbidden to add oil to them. But Saturday and the days of relaxation, when you can finally fry fish or vegetables in vegetable oil, add it to salads.

Proper nutrition during fasting

And while fasting, your food can be healthy. Replace the animal protein missing in the diet with protein-rich foods plant origin. First of all, these are mushrooms and legumes: lentils, peas, chickpeas. The missing fats are found in nuts, and iron - in apples, buckwheat, bananas.

Remember that while observing religious fasts, one should not fall into the sin of gluttony immediately after they are completed, this is harmful not only for the soul, but also for health.

Mayonnaise, which contains both butter and eggs, is not allowed as a sauce, so salads are best seasoned soy sauce or lemon juice.

It is forbidden to drink any alcohol, despite the fact that in natural recipes it must have vegetable. This is due to the fact that fasting is primarily a purification of the soul, and not, and alcohol for a person is an excess, not a necessity.

note

The fish exception applies only to Palm Sunday and the Annunciation. These days fish is allowed.

The diet of a nursing mother should be complete, include foods high in vitamins and minerals that are vital for a newborn baby. However, there are a number of restrictions in the mother's diet, since not all foods will benefit her and her newborn baby.

Reasons for rejection

Breastfeeding mothers should observe special diet recommended by pediatricians and based on many years of experience of previous generations. Otherwise, they may affect the child. Excessive consumption of certain foods threatens with allergic dermatitis, popularly referred to as diathesis, infantile colic and increased gas formation, as well as feeling unwell and often the mother herself.

Most severe dietary restrictions apply to the first month of a child's life. Over time, it will be possible to gradually include new products.

First of all, keep in mind that each baby has its own individual reaction to foods in the diet. What is well tolerated by one will cause problems for another.

Dairy and dairy products

One of the most common advice that women who have recently given birth hear is to definitely drink cow's milk. No less often, in order to increase lactation, it is advised to drink several cups of black tea with condensed milk every day.

If you like to drink tea with herbs, you should not get carried away with sage, it reduces lactation.

Maybe these drinks really number breast milk and make it taste sweeter. The pitfall is that a fairly large percentage in the first months after birth do not tolerate cow's milk protein well. This is biologically determined and is not a disease. If you notice a rash on the face and body, a yellow seborrheic crust on the head, or other allergy symptoms in your baby, reduce the amount of milk you consume. Dairy products, cottage cheese, sour cream are considered more acceptable in the diet of the mother.

Confectionery

All kinds of sweets like cakes, sweets, cakes, etc. should also be limited, ideally completely eliminated from the diet. Confectionery often contains harmful trans fats, margarine and artificial additives. In general, try to reduce the amount of food with chemical dyes and preservatives and eat natural products.

A pediatric dietitian or breastfeeding specialist can help clarify the situation about the effect of products on a particular child.

Foods that cause allergies

The nursing diet should be hypoallergenic. Allergies are often caused by products containing cocoa beans (cocoa, chocolate, sweets). Use a large number eggs, nuts, honey, canned food, citrus fruits and berries can cause an allergic reaction. Also, don't abuse fresh vegetables and fruits, especially if yours often has digestive problems.

You can not drink too much carbonated drinks and coffee.

Alcohol abuse during lactation

The most important rule that a nursing woman must unquestioningly follow is an absolute exception. alcoholic beverages! Drinking alcohol in 100% of cases affects the composition and quality of breast milk, alcohol enters the child's body and can affect his motor development.

Medications and breastfeeding

Majority medicines are also prohibited. Read the instructions carefully before taking any pill. In the vast majority of cases, lactation is included. If you get sick, it's best not to risk it, go to the doctor's office and consult about taking certain medications in the chest.

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Sources:

• Products prohibited during breastfeeding

In everyone's life Orthodox Christian once the first conscious Great Lent happens. It is good if the traditions of fasting were in the family, if life from childhood was within the Church. But people who decide to get acquainted with church tradition Great Lent already in adulthood, a lot of questions arise. On the eve of the beginning of Lent, our column receives more and more questions about what can and cannot be done during Great Lent. We decided to choose the most FAQ and answer them in one article.

What is possible and impossible in Lent is determined by the charter. Russian Orthodox Church in this case uses the ancient monastic charter, but life modern man in big city very different from life in a monastery, and following every letter of the ancient rules is beyond the strength of many. Taking into account the recommendations of the charter, everyone should determine the measure of fasting for himself, after consulting with the priest and assessing his state of health, workload, opportunities and other circumstances.

What can you eat on the first week of Lent?	Can you eat shrimp during Lent?
Is it possible to eat vegetable oil in Lent?	Can you eat seafood during Lent?
Can you drink during Lent?	Why can't you eat meat during Lent?
Is honey allowed in Lent?	Why can't you get pregnant during Lent?
Can you drink water during Lent?	Who should not fast during Great Lent?
Is it possible to fish in Lent?

What can you eat on the first week of Lent?

On the first week of Lent, you can eat fresh, dried and salted vegetables and fruits, bread, honey, nuts. The strict monastic rule presupposes a complete refusal of food on the first day of Great Lent, food without oil on Tuesday and Thursday, and dry eating on Wednesday and Friday of the first week of fasting (that is, the use of unexposed heat treatment food without oil). But for a layman, that is, a person who does not live in a monastery, but in modern world, following such a charter is an additional feat, accessible to a few, and one can go on it only with the special blessing of the confessor. Usually, the laity also eat porridge, soups, fried, boiled or baked vegetables and mushrooms, etc. in the first week.

Is it possible to eat vegetable oil in Lent?

Vegetable oil during Great Lent is allowed by the monastic charter only on Saturdays, Sundays and some weekdays. But it is not at all necessary to constantly check the calendar. For the laity (i.e., non-monastics), vegetable oil is acceptable for daily consumption.

It is believed that in southern countries, where the charter came from, the rejection of oil was due to the fact that there were always olives on the table, and the oil from them was already perceived as an excess. For a modern person living in middle lane Russia, rather vegetable oil will be a simpler product.

Can you drink during Lent?

During Great Lent, you can drink water, compotes, juices, teas, coffee, and even some wine is allowed on some days. You can not drink strong alcohol or wine in large quantities during Lent.

Fasting is a time of concentration and concentration, while alcohol can interfere with a person in his spiritual movement.

Is honey allowed in Lent?

You can eat honey in Lent. But we must remember that the meaning of a gastronomic fast is to limit, that is, tasty, sweet, favorite food, even lean, you do not need to overeat.

Can you drink water during Lent?

Of course, you can drink water during Great Lent. Refuse water only before Communion. It is customary to approach the Sacrament on an empty stomach and from 12 a.m. the day before or 6 hours before, if the Liturgy is at night or in the evening, you must refuse both food and drink.

Is it possible to fish in Lent?

You can fish twice during Great Lent: on the feasts of the Annunciation (April 7) and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem ( Palm Sunday, in 2017 - April 9). If the Annunciation falls on Holy Week, then even on a holiday you can’t eat fish. On the eve of Palm Sunday, on Lazarus Saturday (in 2017 - April 8), fish caviar is allowed.

In addition, pregnant and lactating women, students and those who are engaged in increased mental or hard physical labor are often blessed to eat fish during Lent.

Can you eat shrimp during Lent?

Whether there are shrimp in Lent depends on the measure of observance of the fast. So, for example, in Greece, where seafood is a traditional and easily accessible food, during Lent they are allowed even in monasteries on those days when the charter allows oil. In Russia, seafood is not such a common food, and every fasting person, in consultation with a priest, decides for himself whether shrimp, squid and other "sea reptiles" will be in his diet.If shrimp is quite affordable for you and you feel that you need such reinforcement several times a post, then eating shrimp (and other seafood - mussels, squid) is possible. If shrimp is more of a favorite delicacy for you, then it may be worth looking for another product to reinforce your strength.

Can you eat seafood during Lent?

Opinions differ about whether seafood can be eaten during Lent. Some believe that it is possible, like fish, only twice during the entire period of fasting - on the feast of the Annunciation and on Palm Sunday. Others say that seafood is allowed during Great Lent on Saturdays and Sundays.

Lay people in this matter need to focus on their state of health, stress, lifestyle. For some, the rejection of meat and dairy products is not difficult, and for those in whose lives there are heavy loads, it is impossible to do without a sufficient amount of protein, and seafood can serve as a full-fledged source of it.

In any case, you need to remember the basic rule of fasting: food should be simple. And if seafood remains in the fasting diet, then there is no need to overeat with seafood delicacies.

Why can't you eat meat during Lent?

Meat cannot be eaten during Great Lent because during this period a person must strive for God both in spirit and in body. Food of animal origin is heavy, and it is not easy after rich meat borscht or cutlets to stand up for prayer and focus on turning to the Lord.

Refusing certain products, a believer learns abstinence, the ability to cope with his desires, which is necessary not so much at the table as in life in general.

Nevertheless, there are circumstances when a person, even during Great Lent, does not have the opportunity to exclude meat from the diet (health condition, business trip or expedition, meals in an institution - in a hospital, prison, etc.). In this case, you need to remember that a gastronomic fast is only a help to a person in his struggle with passions, and the main fast is spiritual.

Priests often recall the words of the elders: “Eat meat while fasting, but don’t eat each other.” Of course, this quote does not call for eating meat during fasting, especially since the refusal only from meat products is the first and simplest degree of fasting. But these words call on those who, for one reason or another, break the fast, not to despair, and to turn their attention to their spiritual movements, not to get annoyed, but to learn to treat others with love.

Why can't you get pregnant during Lent?

The main thing to understand in this matter is that in the Church there are no signs and rules about the time suitable for getting pregnant. The Church says only that Great Lent is recommended for spouses to refrain from marital intimacy to learn to control your passions and desires and to set your mind on prayer. But carnal abstinence can only be mutual agreement husband and wife, but not always fasting both. Thus, if a child was nevertheless conceived during Lent, in no case should one consider him defective in any way or worry about the influence of the day of his conception on his fate.

Who should not fast during Great Lent?

In one way or another, everyone can fast during Great Lent! The point of fasting is not to exhaust your body by refusing to eat. Lent is a time of struggle with passions, which means that the first task may be to give up what causes a certain kind of addiction in a person. And lean chocolate will cease to be lean if you eat a bar a day.

Those or other, even if very small, restrictions can be incurred by any person, if you approach the issue with reasoning. Suffering from any diseases and the elderly, children and adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, the rejection of a full diet is contraindicated. But in addition to gastronomic, there are still many temptations in the life of a modern Christian - this is endless surfing on the Internet, and numerous entertainment shows and television series, and quarrels with others, and many other senseless ways to waste time. Great Lent is a fertile time to try to bring your way of life at least a little closer to the commandments given by Christ.

The Monk Barsanuphius the Great said: “...fasting inner man pleasing to God and will reward you for your lack of bodily fasting.” Even if fasting in food turns out in the most lesser degree, you need to direct your efforts to good deeds, prayer and repentance.

What prayers can not be read in Lent?

What can not be eaten in Lent?

What not to do in Lent

What can not be done in It would be more correct to ask what should be done in Lent. After all, this time was given to us specifically as a time of intensive work on ourselves. As a chance to change something in yourself for the better. Concentrate on your spiritual, inner life.

And the rules that the Church invites us to observe during Great Lent, we need as an aid in achieving these goals.

So what are these rules?

Fasting in food. In Lent, you can not only eat fast food (meat, eggs, dairy products), but also overeat lean. During the period of fasting, one should also not drink alcohol, except on some days when a little wine is allowed. Spouses should, if possible and only by mutual agreement, refrain from intimacy (weddings are not performed during Great Lent, respectively, believers cannot marry during Great Lent).

Reasonable allocation of time. In Great Lent, you need to focus on your spiritual life, and therefore you should not waste time aimlessly. It makes sense to limit entertainment and entertainment, and devote time to prayer and your spiritual development.

Forgiveness of insults. You can’t continue to cherish your grievances against others in fasting, you need to try to resolve conflicts and, if possible, reconcile. That is why Great Lent begins after Forgiveness Sunday.

Intensified prayer. In fasting, worship and prayer should not be neglected. The Divine Services of Great Lent are very special, they convey the main mood of Great Lent - repentance. There are services (canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, Passions, divine services Holy Week) which are a must-see.

The repentant prayer of Ephraim the Syrian accompanies the Orthodox Christian throughout Great Lent.

During Great Lent, a Christian cannot continue to live in the usual hustle and bustle, forgetting about God. You need to find time and opportunities to take even the smallest, but steps towards the Lord. Seven weeks of Great Lent - seven steps to Easter, to the Bright Christ's Resurrection. And they should be spent in such a way as to meet the Holiday with a pure heart.

Fasting excludes not only meat, but all food of animal origin. The period of fasting is a time of purely spiritual labors. Therefore, it is necessary that the soul controls the body, and not vice versa. This is facilitated by the restriction of the amount of daily food and the exclusion from the use of animal products, which undoubtedly fatten the body and deprive it of lightness. Even the highest calorie herbal products(fruits of the chocolate tree, sunflower oil, walnuts etc.) do not cause a feeling of heaviness. The holy saints of God, who acquired high spiritual gifts, gave great importance fasting: “It is necessary for a Christian to fast in order to clarify the mind and arouse and develop feelings, and move the will to good activity. We overshadow and suppress these three abilities of man most of all by overeating, drunkenness and worldly cares (Luke 21:34), and through this we fall away from the source of life - God and fall into decay and vanity, perverting and defiling the image of God in ourselves. Lust and voluptuousness nail us to the ground and cut off, so to speak, the wings of the soul. And look how high the flight of all fasters and abstinences was!” (St. Right. John of Kronstadt. My Life in Christ, M., 2002, p. 504).
Since a person consists of a soul and a body, he must fast not only for the body, but also for the soul: have a high prayerful disposition, a deep sense of repentance, avoid entertainment and vain activities that dispel the mind and feelings.
Fasting is not an end in itself, but a means. The goal is Christian life is the purity of the heart and spiritual fruits (love, peace of mind, joy, mercy). If a person fasted moderately, but during the entire fast he did not reproach anyone and never got annoyed with anyone, he achieved more than the one who spent it in a dry diet.
???What is the attitude of the Church towards tombstones?
A cross (wooden, stone, metal) should stand at the burial place of a Christian. If there is already a cross on your father's grave, then there is no need to erect a monument. One can only take care of the magnificence of the cross.
???Why is the pentagram (five-pointed star) considered a satanic symbol?
Because some occult societies, both in ancient and modern times, have chosen the pentagram magic sign. At the same time, it must be remembered that the form of this symbol is taken from nature and is not significant outside of certain false teachings and actions.
???What does the word deaconess mean?
Deaconesses (Greek diakonissa - a servant) in the first centuries of Christianity were called women who devoted themselves to serving the Church. They prepared women for baptism and were present at this sacrament, visiting the sick and the poor. They carried other obediences of the bishop.
???How to give parental blessing to children for marriage?
Since biblical times, parental blessing has been considered a condition for lasting and happy marriage. During the sacrament of the wedding, the priest prays: “God remember the parents who raised them: beyond the prayers of the parents, the foundations of the houses are established.” God has given parents special authority over their children. They must use it with love and wisdom.
According to tradition, the groom and his parents come to the house of the bride's parents and ask them for the hand of their daughter. If they agree to the marriage, they, together with the groom's parents, bless the young on family union: the groom with the icon of Christ the Savior, the girl - with the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Young people overshadow themselves with the banner of the cross and kiss the holy icons. Handing over the icons, parents express the lofty thought that now, when the time for raising children is over for them, they with faith and hope entrust them to the all-powerful intercession of the Lord and Mother of God. These icons are placed in the red corner. Often several generations were blessed by them. They become family and tribal shrines.
If one of the parents is no longer there, then the surviving one blesses.
In the old days, godparents also participated in the blessing. Unfortunately, in our time, recipients rarely participate in spiritual education their godchildren. They do not participate in the arrangement of their marriage either.