The fun ends Maslenitsa, and after it comes a very important time for Orthodox Christians - Lent, which is designed to help believers cleanse themselves spiritually and physically in order to be worthy of the most important holiday - Happy Easter.
When does Lent begin and end in 2017?
Lent begins immediately after Forgiveness Sunday(February 26), which ends Maslenitsa. Thus, in 2017, Lent begins on Monday, February 27, and ends on Sunday night, April 16, Happy Easter.
The most strict are the first week of Lent and the last, which is called Holy Week (week).
The meaning of Lent, who should not fast
Believers are instructed to limit themselves during Lent, observing the required regulations whenever possible. But bodily fasting is not an end in itself, and certainly not a diet. This is a time of spiritual revival and cleansing, so it is important not only not to eat fast food, but also to devote time to prayer, keep your mind clean, do charity work, etc. The Church also recommends during this period to abstain from carnal pleasures, not to attend entertainment events, to limit oneself to watching television programs and surfing the Internet.
But concerts of sacred music, visiting museums, reading books, walking and thinking, on the contrary, are strongly encouraged.
The strictness of nutrition during fasting, especially with regard to dairy products, does not apply to children, pregnant and nursing mothers, the elderly, the sick, travelers and prisoners. Nevertheless, spiritual work is required from them no less than from the strictest fasters.
Those who decide to fast for the first time throughout Lent are advised to consult a doctor and receive a blessing from a spiritual mentor.
Principles of nutrition during Lent
On Clean Monday (the first day of fasting) and Good Friday (before the removal of the shroud), complete abstinence from food is customary. The rest of the time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - according to the monastery, that is, the most strict charter, dry eating is prescribed (water, bread, fruits, dried fruits, vegetables, nuts, honey, fruit drinks and compotes); Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil; Saturday, Sunday - food with vegetable oil and a little wine.
It is allowed to eat fish on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7) and on Palm Sunday (April 9). On Lazarus Saturday (April 8) you are allowed to eat fish caviar.
Great Lent 2017, nutrition calendar by day: first week (week)
Monday, February 27 - complete abstinence from food.
Tuesday, February 28 - dry eating.
Wednesday, March 1 - dry eating.
Thursday, March 2 - dry eating.
Friday, March 3 - dry eating.
Saturday, March 4 - boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, March 5 - boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine.
Great Lent 2017, nutrition calendar by day: second week
Monday, March 6 - dry eating.
Tuesday, March 7 - boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, March 8 - dry eating.
Thursday, March 9 - boiled vegetable food without oil.
Friday, March 10 - dry eating.
Saturday, March 11 - boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, March 12 - boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Great Lent 2017, nutrition calendar by day: third week
Monday, March 13 - dry eating.
Tuesday, March 14 - boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, March 15 - dry eating.
Thursday, March 16 - boiled vegetable food without oil.
Friday, March 17 - dry eating.
Saturday, March 18 - boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, March 19 - boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Great Lent 2017, nutrition calendar by day: fourth week
Monday, March 20 - dry eating.
Tuesday, March 21 - boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, March 22 - dry eating.
Thursday, March 23 - boiled vegetable food without oil and fish allowed.
Friday, March 24 - dry eating.
Saturday, March 25 - boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, March 26 - boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Great Lent 2017, nutrition calendar by day: fifth week
Monday, March 27 - dry eating.
Tuesday, March 28 - boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, March 29 - dry eating.
Thursday, March 30 - boiled vegetable food without oil.
Friday, March 31 - dry eating.
Saturday, April 1 - boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, April 2 - boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine.
Great Lent 2017, nutrition calendar by day: sixth week
Monday, April 3 - dry eating.
Tuesday, April 4 - boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, April 5 - dry eating.
Thursday, April 6 - boiled vegetable food without oil.
Friday, April 7 - Annunciation
Saturday, April 8 - Lazarev Saturday, boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine. Fish is allowed.
Sunday, April 9 - Palm Sunday, boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine, fish allowed.
Great Lent 2017: seventh (Holy) week
Monday, April 10 (Holy Monday) - dry eating.
Tuesday, April 11 (Holy Tuesday) - dry eating.
Wednesday, April 12 (Holy Wednesday) - dry eating.
Thursday, April 13 (Holy Thursday) - dry eating.
Friday, April 14 (Good Friday) - complete abstinence from food.
Saturday, April 15 (Holy Saturday) - dry eating.
Sunday, April 16 (Resurrection of Christ) - Easter, the end of Lent.
Lent is a time of self-restraint. Including food. This is the time when Orthodox canons recommend that we give up products of animal origin, we are talking primarily about warm-blooded animals: birds and mammals. Although during Lent, fish and caviar are also limited - they are available only for a couple of days during the entire 7-week fast. Vegetable oil and wine are allowed only on weekends. Our infographic will help you understand all the rules:
Nutrition calendar for Lent 2017 Photo: AiF
First week of fasting
She is the most difficult and strict. And it begins on Clean Monday, February 27th. On this day, complete abstinence from food is recommended. You are only allowed to drink water.
Xerophagy
Almost the entire first week, the Orthodox canon prescribes dry eating. These days, cold food that is not thermally processed is allowed: raw vegetables and fruits, pickles and pickles, nuts, and sometimes honey.
The exception is bread - although it is cooked in the oven, you can eat it, but, of course, it is lean, without sugar or vegetable oil in the composition.
Dry eating days are the first week of Lent, as well as all Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from the 2nd to the 6th week. During the last, Holy Week of Lent, there are also days when you need to observe dry eating.
Important! Dry eating is the most difficult type of fasting. Therefore, the church recommends asking for the blessing of a confessor to hold it.
Hot food without oil
From the second week of Lent, hot food without oil is allowed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is more space here - various soups and cereal porridges, boiled potatoes are added. And boiled and stewed hot vegetables fill you up and warm you up much better than just raw carrots.Hot food with butter
“Eating oil” is allowed only on weekends. This is when you can fry potatoes, cook carrot or cabbage cutlets. Grape wine is also allowed on weekends.
Holidays
On holidays, the diet of fasting people may change slightly.
9th of March. Finding the head of John the Baptist. You can eat hot food flavored with vegetable oil and drink a glass of wine.
March 22. Memorial Day of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. Even on this day in ancient times, housewives baked larks: Lenten buns in the shape of spring birds. On this day you can afford a glass of wine and hot dishes with vegetable oil.
30th of March. Standing of Mary of Egypt. Oil, vegetable oil and a glass of wine are added to regular hot dishes.
April 7. Annunciation. You can eat fish dishes cooked in vegetable oil. And drink wine.
Important! On holidays you can drink wine, but only to maintain strength - one glass of red.
Holy Week
She is especially strict. The first three days are dry eating.On Maundy Thursday, believers remember the Last Supper, according to different canons there are different recommendations: according to the charter of Holy Mount Athos, hot food with butter and wine is allowed.
14th of April- Good or Good Friday. On this day, they abstain from food until Friday Vespers, the culminating moment of which is the removal of the shroud from the altar to the middle of the temple, where it remains until Saturday night - the Easter Midnight Office.
April 15- Holy Saturday. On this day it is also recommended to abstain from food. If it’s difficult, then it’s moderate. You can eat hot food and maintain your strength with a sip of wine. However, vegetable oil is prohibited.
Who should not fast
All rules of fasting days apply only to healthy and adult fasting people. The fast should not be observed by the sick, small children, pregnant and lactating women, people whose work involves heavy physical labor, the elderly, as well as prisoners and travelers. All these groups of Orthodox believers can observe fasting, but according to more lenient rules and with the blessing of their confessor.
Rules for monastics
Monastics observe Great Lent more strictly than the laity. For the first two days and on Thursday, the monks completely abstain from food, only drinking water. Wednesday is a day of dry eating, and on Friday you can eat boiled food without oil; The only meal these days is in the late afternoon.
On Saturdays and Sundays - two meals with boiled hot food, vegetable oil and wine.
In the following weeks of fasting (from the second to the sixth), in the monasteries they abstain from food until 15.00, after which there is the only meal of the day, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - dry eating, on Tuesday and Thursday - with hot food without oil.
During Holy Week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday there is dry eating. On Maundy Thursday there is a meal once a day, after Vespers. On Good Friday - complete abstinence from food and drink. Those who cannot hold it “are given bread and water after the sun goes down.” On Holy Saturday the only meal is served at about 19.00: bread, vegetables, a little wine or kvass.
Lent in 2017 begins on February 27 and lasts until April 15. Nutrition calendar by day and what not to eat during Holy Week, reports RIA VladNews with reference to Informing.
Lent begins immediately after Maslenitsa. In 2017, the last “pancake” day is February 26, and on the 27th all Orthodox Christians go to the strictest fast of the year - Lent.
The forty-day period of Lent is associated with the trials of Christ in the desert, where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days and did not eat anything. It was with this fast that Christ began his great work of saving human souls. The purpose of fasting is spiritual cleansing.
Fasting is observed with particular strictness during the first and passionate weeks.
On Clean Monday, complete abstinence from food is accepted. The rest of the time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry food (water, bread, fruits, vegetables, compotes); Tuesday, Thursday – hot food without oil; Saturday, Sunday – food with vegetable oil.
Fish is allowed on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7) and on Palm Sunday (April 9 in 2017). On Lazarus Saturday (April 8 in 2017) fish caviar is allowed. On Good Friday (April 14 in 2017) you cannot eat food until the shroud is taken out.
So, how should you eat during Lent?
Lent 2017 nutrition: first week
Monday, February 27 – complete abstinence from food.
Tuesday, February 28 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Wednesday, March 1 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Thursday, March 2 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Friday, March 3 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Saturday, March 4 – boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, March 5 – boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, maybe a little wine.
Lent 2017 nutrition: second week
Monday, March 6 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Tuesday, March 7 – boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, March 8 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Thursday, March 9 – boiled vegetable food without oil.
Friday, March 10 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Saturday, March 11 – you can eat boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, March 12 – boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Lent 2017 nutrition: third week
Monday, March 13 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Tuesday, March 14 – boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, March 15 – dry eating, you can eat bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts.
Thursday, March 16 – boiled vegetable food, but without oil.
Friday, March 17 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Saturday, March 18 – boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, March 19 – boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Lent 2017 nutrition: fourth week
Monday, March 20 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Tuesday, March 21 – boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, March 22 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Thursday, March 23 – boiled vegetable food without oil, but fish is allowed.
Friday, March 24 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Saturday, March 25 – boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, March 26 – boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine is not prohibited.
Lent 2017 nutrition: fifth week
Monday, March 27 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Tuesday, March 28 – boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, March 29 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Thursday, March 30 – boiled vegetable food without oil.
Friday, March 31 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Saturday, April 1 – boiled food with the addition of vegetable oil, wine.
Sunday, April 2 – boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine.
Lent 2017 nutrition: sixth week
Monday, April 3 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Tuesday, April 4 – boiled vegetable food without oil.
Wednesday, April 5 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Thursday, April 6 – boiled vegetable food without oil.
Friday, April 7 – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts). Fish is allowed.
Saturday, April 8 – boiled food with added vegetable oil, wine, caviar. Fish roe is allowed.
Sunday, April 9 – it is allowed to eat fish.
Lent 2017 nutrition: seventh week
Holy Week is the strict week of Lent 2017, each day has its own name. It should also be remembered that during Holy Week, fasting is intensified and is truly truly strict.
Monday, April 10 (Holy Monday) – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Tuesday, April 11 (Holy Tuesday) – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Wednesday, April 12 (Holy Wednesday) – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Thursday, April 13 (Holy Thursday) – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Friday, April 14 (Good Friday) – complete abstinence from food.
Saturday, April 15 (Holy Saturday) – dry eating (consumption of bread, raw vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts).
Sunday, April 16 (Resurrection of Christ) - Easter, the end of Lent.
Orthodox church calendar of fasts and meals for 2020 with an indication and brief description of multi-day and one-day fasts and continuous weeks.
Church Orthodox calendar of fasts and meals for 2020
Fasting is not in the belly, but in the spirit
Popular proverb
Nothing in life comes without difficulty. And in order to celebrate the holiday, you need to prepare for it.
In the Russian Orthodox Church there are four multi-day fasts, fasting on Wednesday and Friday throughout the year (except for a few weeks), and three one-day fasts.
In the first four days of the first week of Great Lent (from Monday to Thursday), the Great (Repentant) Canon, the work of the brilliant Byzantine hymnographer St. Andrew of Crete (8th century), is read during the evening service.
ATTENTION! Below you will find information about dry eating, food without oil and days of complete abstinence from food. All this is a long-standing monastic tradition, which even in monasteries cannot always be observed in our time. Such strictness of fasting is not for the laity, and the usual practice is abstaining from eggs, dairy and meat foods during fasting and during strict fasting also abstaining from fish. For all possible questions and about your individual measure of fasting, you need to consult your confessor.
Dates are indicated according to the new style.
Calendar of fasts and meals for 2020
| Periods | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|
from March 2 to April 18 |
xerophagy | hot without oil | xerophagy | hot without oil | xerophagy | hot with butter | hot with butter | |
| Spring meat eater | fish | fish | ||||||
|
from June 15 to July 11 |
hot without oil | fish | xerophagy | fish | xerophagy | fish | fish | |
| Summer meat eater | xerophagy | xerophagy | ||||||
|
from 14 to 27 August |
xerophagy | hot without oil | xerophagy | hot without oil | xerophagy | hot with butter | hot with butter | |
| Autumn meat eater | xerophagy | xerophagy | ||||||
| from November 28, 2020 to January 6, 2021 | until December 19 | hot without oil | fish | xerophagy | fish | xerophagy | fish | fish |
| December 20 - January 1 | hot without oil | hot with butter | xerophagy | hot with butter | xerophagy | fish | fish | |
| January 2-6 | xerophagy | hot without oil | xerophagy | hot without oil | xerophagy | hot with butter | hot with butter | |
| Winter meat eater | fish | fish | ||||||
in 2020
The Savior himself was led by spirit into the desert, was tempted by the devil for forty days and did not eat anything during these days. The Savior began the work of our salvation with fasting. Great Lent is a fast in honor of the Savior Himself, and the last, Holy Week of this forty-eight-day fast is established in honor of the memory of the last days of earthly life, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Fasting is observed with particular strictness during the first and Holy weeks.
On Clean Monday, complete abstinence from food is customary. The rest of the time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry food (water, bread, fruits, vegetables, compotes); Tuesday, Thursday – hot food without oil; Saturday, Sunday – food with vegetable oil.
Fish is allowed on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and on Palm Sunday. Fish caviar is allowed on Lazarus Saturday. On Good Friday you cannot eat food until the Shroud is taken out.
in 2020
On Monday of the Week of All Saints, the Fast of the Holy Apostles begins, established before the Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul. This post is called summer. The continuation of fasting varies depending on how early or late Easter occurs.
It always starts on All Saints Monday and ends on July 12th. The longest Petrov fast consists of six weeks, and the shortest one is a week and a day. This fast was established in honor of the Holy Apostles, who, through fasting and prayer, prepared for the worldwide preaching of the Gospel and prepared their successors in the work of saving service.
Strict fasting (dry eating) on Wednesday and Friday. On Monday you can have hot food without oil. On other days - fish, mushrooms, cereals with vegetable oil.
in 2020
From August 14 to August 27, 2020.
A month after the Apostolic Fast, the multi-day Dormition Fast begins. It lasts two weeks - from August 14 to 27. With this fast, the Church calls us to imitate the Mother of God, who, before Her relocation to heaven, constantly remained in fasting and prayer.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday – dry eating. Tuesday, Thursday – hot food without oil. On Saturday and Sunday, food with vegetable oil is allowed.
On the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), fish is allowed. Fish day in Assumption, if it falls on Wednesday or Friday.
in 2020
Christmas (Filippov) fast. At the end of autumn, 40 days before the great feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church calls us to winter fasting. It is called both Filippov, because it begins after the day dedicated to the memory of the Apostle Philip, and Rozhdestvensky, because it occurs before the feast of the Nativity of Christ.
This fast was established in order for us to offer a grateful sacrifice to the Lord for the collected earthly fruits and to prepare for a gracious union with the born Savior.
The charter about food coincides with the charter of Peter's Fast, until the day of St. Nicholas (December 19).
If the Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on Wednesday or Friday, then fish is allowed. After the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas and before the forefeast of Christmas, fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday. On the eve of the feast, you cannot eat fish on all days; on Saturday and Sunday - food with oil.
On Christmas Eve you cannot eat food until the first star appears, after which it is customary to eat sochivo - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins.
Solid weeks in 2020
Week– week from Monday to Sunday. These days there is no fasting on Wednesday and Friday.
There are five continuous weeks:
Christmastide– from January 7 to January 17,
Publican and Pharisee– 2 weeks before
Cheese (Maslenitsa)– week before (no meat)
Easter (Light)– week after Easter
- week after Trinity.
Fasting on Wednesday and Friday
Weekly fast days are Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, fasting was established in memory of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, on Friday - in memory of the suffering on the cross and death of the Savior. On these days of the week, the Holy Church prohibits the consumption of meat and dairy foods, and during the week of All Saints before the Nativity of Christ, one should also abstain from fish and vegetable oil. Only when the days of celebrated saints fall on Wednesday and Friday is vegetable oil allowed, and on the biggest holidays, such as Intercession, fish.
Those who are sick and engaged in hard work are allowed some relief, so that Christians have the strength to pray and do the necessary work, but eating fish on the wrong days, and especially the full permission of fasting, is rejected by the charter.
One-day posts
Epiphany Christmas Eve– January 18, on the eve of the Epiphany. On this day, Christians prepare for cleansing and consecration with holy water on the feast of Epiphany.
Beheading of John the Baptist- 11 September. This is the day of remembrance and death of the great prophet John.
Exaltation of the Holy Cross- September 27. The memory of the Savior's suffering on the cross for the salvation of the human race. This day is spent in prayer, fasting, and contrition for sins.
One-day posts– days of strict fasting (except Wednesday and Friday). Fish is prohibited, but food with vegetable oil is allowed.
Orthodox holidays. About meals on holidays
According to the Church Charter, there is no fasting on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, which happened on Wednesday and Friday. On Christmas and Epiphany Eves and on the holidays of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Beheading of John the Baptist, food with vegetable oil is allowed. On the feasts of the Presentation, Transfiguration of the Lord, Dormition, Nativity and Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her Entry into the Temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday, as well as in the period from Easter to Trinity on Wednesday and Friday Fish allowed.
When marriage is not performed
On the eve of Wednesday and Friday of the whole year (Tuesday and Thursday), Sundays (Saturday), twelve days, temple and great holidays; in continuation of the posts: Veliky, Petrov, Uspensky, Rozhdestvensky; in continuation of Christmastide, on Meat Week, during Cheese Week (Maslenitsa) and on Cheese Week; during Easter (Bright) week and on the days of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27.
- You just read the article Church Orthodox calendar for 2019. If you want to know more about Orthodox posts, then pay attention to the article.
There is no doubt that the 2017 church calendar of Orthodox holidays and fasts, posted on this page, will be useful for every believer, since it contains all, without exception, the most important church dates of 2017, including only important Orthodox holidays and fasts.
Twelfth permanent holidays in 2017
The Nativity of Christ is January 7, 2017, a permanent holiday. In honor of Christmas, festive feasts are held, and it is customary for people to sing carols and tell fortunes.
Epiphany of the Lord - January 19, 2017. The third impermanent Feast of the Lord. Otherwise called Holy Epiphany. On this day, all water is considered holy due to the fact that the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River once took place on this date.
Presentation of the Lord - February 15, 2017. The day on which the baby Jesus was first brought into the Temple.
Annunciation of the Most Holy. Theotokos - April 7, 2017. The day on which the Blessed Virgin Mary learned the good news that she would become the mother of the Son of God.
Transfiguration of the Lord - August 19, 2017. The last of the permanent twelve holidays dedicated to the life of Jesus Christ. Popularly called Apple Savior.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - August 28, 2017. The holiday is dedicated to the events that ended the earthly life of the Virgin Mary, her death, resurrection and ascension to heaven.
Nativity of the Virgin Mary - September 21, 2017. This holiday is permanent, like all church feasts of the Virgin Mary (see. orthodox calendar below).
Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27, 2017 (permanent). The day is a fast day; only vegetable products flavored with vegetable oil are allowed.
Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos - December 4, 2017. The day on which, according to legend, Mary’s parents gave their daughter to serve in the Temple.
Moving church holidays
The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is one of the most important church Orthodox holidays; it is celebrated on April 9, 2017. It occurs during fasting, but on this day a relaxation in diet is allowed (you can eat fish). Otherwise, this last Sunday before Orthodox Easter is called Palm Sunday.
Ascension - May 25, 2017. It falls on the fortieth day after Easter. On this holiday, it is common among people to bake ritual cookies in the form of a ladder, personifying the stairway to heaven along which Jesus ascended to heaven.
Pentecost or - June 4, 2017. Celebrated on the 50th day after Easter. Otherwise, this holiday is called Green Sunday because of the tradition of decorating houses and churches with birch branches.
Calendar of church Orthodox holidays and fasts for 2017
Church Orthodox fasts in 2017
Multi-day posts
– from February 27 to April 15, 2017. One of the strictest church fasts in the Christian tradition.
Petrov - from June 12 to July 11, 2017. This post is classified as non-strict.
Uspensky - from August 14 to August 27, 2017. Strict fasting, which begins with the Honey Savior and lasts until the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Rozhdestvensky - from November 28, 2017 to January 6, 2018 is considered non-strict from the very first day to January 1. The last week of fasting involves following a strict diet.
One-day posts
Wednesday and Friday throughout 2017, excl. Christmastide and continuous weeks.
January 18, 2017 - Epiphany Christmas Eve.
September 11, 2017 - Beheading of John the Baptist.
September 27, 2017 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Solid weeks in 2017
Solid weeks (omnivorous weeks) - this is the name of the church week (often seven days), in which it is allowed to eat any non-lenten foods, even on days of one-day fasts.
In 2017, five continuous weeks are expected:
From January 7 to January 17 – Christmas Holidays.
From February 6 to 12, 2017 – Week about the Publican and the Pharisee.
From February 20 to 26 – Cheese, preparation before Lent.
From April 16 to April 22 - Easter or Easter, follows Easter.
From June 5 to June 11, 2017 – Trinity Week.
Parents' Saturdays in 2017 (All Souls' Day)
In 2017, All Souls Days fall on the following dates:
February 18 – parents' Saturday.
March 11, 18 and 25 are Saturdays during Lent.
April 25 – Radonitsa – spring Slavic holiday.
May 9 – in honor of the remembrance of soldiers.
June 3 – Trinity Saturday.
November 4 – Dimitrievskaya Saturday.
