The Church Calendar
81 writings in The Church Calendar. Clear
The Church Calendar
How do Orthodox Christians prepare for Pascha?
We prepare through Great Lent, forty days of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, followed by Holy Week’s intense services that walk us through Christ’s Passion, death,…
The Church Calendar
What is Great Lent?
Great Lent is the forty-day season of fasting, prayer, and repentance that prepares us for Pascha, the Feast of Feasts, the Resurrection of Christ. It…
The Church Calendar
When does Great Lent begin?
Great Lent begins on Clean Monday, which falls on a different date each year because it’s calculated backward from Pascha (our word for Easter). In…
The Church Calendar
What is Clean Monday?
Clean Monday is the first day of Great Lent. It’s when we begin the forty-day fast before Pascha. The date moves each year because Pascha…
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How long is Great Lent?
Great Lent is forty days long. It starts on Clean Monday and runs continuously for forty days, ending on the Friday before Lazarus Saturday. But…
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What is the Lenten fast?
The Lenten fast is a forty-day period of spiritual preparation before Pascha (Easter), during which Orthodox Christians abstain from certain foods and intensify their prayer…
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What foods are avoided during Lent?
During Great Lent, Orthodox Christians traditionally abstain from meat, dairy products, fish, olive oil, and wine; at St. Michael, oil and wine are allowed. That’s…
The Church Calendar
Why do Orthodox fast from meat and dairy?
We’re training our bodies to obey our souls instead of the other way around. Fasting from meat and dairy isn’t about those foods being evil…
The Church Calendar
What is a vegan fast?
A vegan fast means no animal products at all. No meat, no dairy, no eggs, no fish (shellfish is allowed at St. Michael). You’re eating…
The Church Calendar
Are there different levels of fasting during Lent?
Yes. Great Lent isn’t one uniform fast from start to finish. The Church gives us different levels of strictness depending on the day of the…
The Church Calendar
What is a strict fast day?
A strict fast day means you’re abstaining from meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine, and oil. That’s the traditional definition. At St. Michael, oil and wine…
The Church Calendar
What is wine and oil allowed mean?
When you see “wine and oil allowed” on an Orthodox calendar, it means you can use olive oil in cooking and drink wine (in moderation)…
