The Orthodox Church who is led by the old Julian calendar starts six-week Christmas post tomorrow. Lent lasts 40 days, until Christmas, 7th of January - the day of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Since the date of Christmas never changes, fasting starts every year on 28th of November and ends on Epiphany, January 6th .
Christian fasting is introduced by the example of Jesus Christ, who spent 40 days in the desert fasting and praying. Fasting is a spiritual and physical preparation of the individual for entry into the secret of the upcoming holiday.
Christmas post is the second in duration, immediately after Easter. In terms of "severity" to use food, the Christmas post is "softer" because it allows the use of wine, oil, and fish. The strict fasting of water is required in the first and last week, and every Wednesday and Friday. In the Orthodox Church, the
Christmas post believers confess and possibly partake to be as worthy in preparation for the feast of the Nativity - Christmas.
The purpose of Christmas post
The purpose of fasting is to "clean up" the spirit and the body, which can be achieved, not only by refraining from fatty foods, but also from evil thoughts, words and deeds. With the canon of the Orthodox Church are provided one-day and multiday fasts. The one-day fasts are Wednesdays and Fridays, the Eve of Theophany on January 18, Beheading of St. John the Baptist on September 11 and Holy Cross on September 27. Multiday fasts are Easter, Peter and Paul, the Virgin and the Nativity Fast.People who consistently follow the rules and fast every Wednesday and Friday since those are the days when Christ was condemned when he died on the cross.
