There is a version that the concept of Lent lies at the origins of the birth of the Christian faith. Her preachers proved to the Gentiles that only a true belief in the Savior Jesus Christ can help overcome any trials, even serious ones like fasting.
The spiritual meaning of Lent
Despite the fact that Lent is strict and difficult, for a true believer it does not mean the burden of trials, but carries the joy of the possibility of communion, as well as the happiness of freeing the soul from all the bad, black and sinful things that a person has accumulated over the whole year.
There is such a concept in the Bible as church tithe - part of the income that a person receives, he must give to the church. If you count accurately, then Lent in its strict version, excluding weekends, when a slight deviation is allowed, lasts about 36.5 days. This amounts to a tenth of 365 days of the whole year. So, according to biblical canons, a true Christian should give these 36.5 days to the church, to God, to remember the Savior’s torment and take part in them by abstinence and prayer.
What is strict post based on? What can a Christian eat these days? As a rule, Lent involves eating plant foods. Fasting can not eat meat, cottage cheese, yogurt. It is important to understand not what a person does, but why he does it, what is the point. Fasting is a purely individual affair of each, his personal secret. The duration of the Sacrament is 40 days, after which Easter comes - the feast of the Resurrection of Christ.
Unfortunately, people are influenced by new trends, according to which it is very fashionable today to be a believer. The time of oblivion of Christianity has passed, although true believers prayed and worshiped the Lord even during the years of Soviet rule. During the Great Patriotic War, soldiers prayed to the icon, deeply hidden under an overcoat, and no one could shake their faith. This is the true belief - this is what lives in a person from the very beginning of his existence, and is not introduced by the wind of public opinion.
Strict Orthodox fasting: rules and laws
A person who has consciously come to faith and regularly observes fasts is unlikely to leave this path if he has traveled this path sincerely and consciously, without lying to himself.
If a person is still at the very beginning of his path to faith, he should know the basic tenets without which fasting is meaningless.
Firstly, Lent is not part of the weight loss program for women, it is not a measure of anti-cellulite struggle, which even sounds somehow blasphemous. Priests believe that a pure soul will never allow such an intention.
Secondly, no one should and should not be obliged to know that a person holds a post. This is not empty bravado, not an object of boasting, but a purely individual Sacrament of each person.
Thirdly, when it is decided to start fasting, I don’t need to give myself any kind of food setting, say that I don’t eat meat from tomorrow, and I won’t eat any food on Wednesdays and Fridays. The beginning of any fasting abstinence is marked by reconciliation with relatives, relatives and with oneself, the elimination of all omissions, misunderstandings and conflict situations. During fasting it is unacceptable to engage in “eating” of relatives and oneself, and one should also remember abstinence in food.
Fourthly, the strictest fasting is not a refusal of conjugal duties, but acts of adultery on the side are prohibited, because the church condemns any relationship other than those that happen between a husband and wife. On the contrary, one cannot bring oneself to such a degree of abstinence so that then literally rush to the first comer.
Fifth, alcohol can be consumed only on weekends, preferably wine diluted with water, and not more than one glass.
Sixth, repeating the above, we must not forget that Lent is not a diet, and its purpose is not to lose a couple of kilograms, but to purify oneself, to gain the ability to control oneself and restrain body impulses.
There are plenty of food additives, flavoring toppings to help endure strict fasting. What can you eat so that it does not seem so heavy, especially for a beginner?
How to turn restrictions into new opportunities?
It should be remembered throughout all time that Lent is strict, and for this time it is necessary to forget about any animal food. Meat products, milk, eggs and foods containing animal fats should be completely excluded. But you can indulge yourself with all kinds of fruits and vegetables in raw, boiled, baked and dried form, as well as cereals, herbs, honey and jam. Vegetable oil can be added to food on weekends and on holidays. On strict fasting days, it is recommended that you drink more pure water and switch from thoughts about food to prayers and church attendance.
Strict fasting implies restricting viewing of TV and trips to recreational activities. A television program sometimes carries so much negativity that you can involuntarily regret turning on the TV.
During Great Lent, weddings were not played in Russia, but this did not mean that life was over. It is better to use the time allotted for fasting for the purpose of spiritual development - you can pick up a book that you have long wanted to read, once again go to church, talk with your loved ones, and pay attention to them. The main thing is to think positively, to refrain from anger and evil deeds. Lent is strict not only to the physical body, but also to the moral character of man.
It must be remembered that strict fasting is not recommended for patients, pregnant women, children and those who work hard physically. In each case, you need to consult a doctor and a spiritual mentor. For these categories of citizens, individual proposals for fasting are possible.
How to enter a strict post
The beginning of strict fasting is the most difficult stage, especially for those who fast for the first time. The first day and Friday of the last week should be completely lean, that is, you must refrain from eating at all. In strict fasting weeks, namely in the first and last week, fruits, vegetables, bread, water are allowed.
Throughout the time, fasting is allowed any cereal, nuts, fruits and vegetables, legumes. You can eat honey, marmalade, cocoa without milk, jelly. On the dates of great holidays, such as the Annunciation, Palm Sunday and Lazarev Saturday, fish and seafood are allowed, and at the weekend, the use of vegetable oil is permissible.
In order not to harm health, a fasting person needs to periodically deny himself the use of meat and meat products in advance. Thus, you can accustom your body to the absence of animal protein. On such "preparatory" days, it is recommended to drink more water, it will normalize the body's metabolic processes.
How to leave a post
When Great Lent ends, the strict regime that people are used to cannot be violated immediately. The body will not absorb meat in large quantities after long days of abstinence. Eating large amounts of food of animal origin will only lead to disruption of the stomach, and possibly poisoning. It is necessary to start with food that is easily digested, and it is desirable that a smooth exit from fasting lasts as long as fasting lasts.
The menu is lean, salty and spicy
Recipes for strict fasting may differ in the presence of a large number of spices, additives, spices. You can use parsley, dill, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and then no one can say that salads and snacks, first and second courses, which are prepared from vegetables and cereals, are impossible to eat because of their fresh taste. And some recipes can be a favorite dish for all occasions. It is necessary to ensure that spices and seasonings do not contain traces of animal origin.
The owner of the lean table, especially the one who works and arrives home only in the evening, knows firsthand that puzzling about the upcoming dinner is much easier than preparing this dinner. It is necessary to manage to do something lean, non-nutritious, but so that everyone is full. Moreover, the number of ingredients is very limited.
The real lifesaver for a practical housewife during the fast will be a vegetable broth. It can become the basis of any dish - both the first and second. The broth is beautiful and fresh in flavor, and if you store it in the freezer portionwise, it will definitely come in handy for the urgent preparation of delicious soup, stew from vegetables or Eintopf. Vegetables for its cooking are taken any that are available, and which are loved by households.
For a special taste, you can add mushrooms, thyme, rosemary and other favorite spices and herbs to the vegetable broth. First, chopped vegetables with mushrooms are sautéed in oil, and then they are poured with water, brought to a boil, herbs and pepper are laid and cooked for about an hour over low heat.
For lean dishes, like no other, appearance is important. Bright colors cause appetite and distract from the composition of the dish itself, in which you often frantically want to find meat. The feeling of fullness usually causes warmth, therefore it is better to serve lean dishes warmed up, and chili peppers or ginger will help create the effect of a hot meal.
Colorful vegetables and fruits in the fasting - eggplant, bell pepper, apples, plums are simply irreplaceable when drawing up a lean menu, as bright colors very cheer up.
Finally, do not forget about the various methods of salting, soaking, pickling and pickling vegetables and fruits! Sauerkraut with boiled potatoes - it’s tastier not to come up with!
Great post. Strict diet as an excuse for a fantasy flight
Fasting people should not feel deprived of tasty and beautiful food. There are so many wonderful, aromatic and hearty fasting dishes that any fasting will become a gastronomic joy for everyone!
If lentils are available, the hostess can prepare a very healthy, tasty and beautiful soup with olives, lemon and herbs.
The main dish of the Lenten menu is fried potatoes with mushrooms, any vegetables can be added to it, and bell pepper is the best option to create a variety of color pictures.
Another spicy recipe is baked potatoes in foil with garlic sauce. Eggplant can be generously seasoned with garlic if no meetings or personal contacts are planned. And if you really want meat, then the meatballs can be simulated with lean chickpea balls called falafel.
Many complain in strict fasting that you can not treat yourself to cottage cheese. That's not true! If you mix semolina with sugar and bake it in an apple, then the resulting filling will taste very much like cottage cheese. A useful property of semolina is that it absorbs fruit juices, swells and becomes like a cream. This should be known to the hostesses and use this property of cereals in a lean kitchen.
A great dinner dish is couscous with herbs. Cooking it is a pleasure. Two tablespoons of cereals should be mixed with olive oil, salt. Make a deepening in the couscous, pour boiling water there, mix, add chopped herbs, beat. Fifteen minutes on the fire is enough to enjoy a simple and satisfying dish.
If you had vegetables from last night's dinner, you can cook rice noodles with vegetables in 10 minutes. To do this, fill the vermicelli with boiling water and let it brew a little. Straw vegetables should be fried for 7 minutes in oil, in which a clove of garlic was previously passaged, then add rice paste to vegetables and season with a little soy sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds to taste.
Bean paste has the appearance of a liver paste. Serving it on the table, you can play in contrast with the brown color of the beans, if you put corn grains or any greens on top. To prepare a paste, canned beans are crushed with a fork and a mixture of 30 g walnuts, 2 dessert spoons of olive oil, several peas of black pepper, as well as coriander and mustard seeds are added to it. Salt the resulting paste to taste, and then spread on bread, tomato or eat as an independent dish.
Fried tofu is perfect for any vegetables. It must be cut into thick slices and fry in garlic oil. Squeezed garlic is pre-passaged. Soy sauce must be mixed with starch and chili and cook until thickened. Then pour fried tofu with this sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and herbs.
For dessert, treat yourself to a smoothie of greens and banana. It looks like an alien fantasy about a healthy lifestyle. And cooking it is simple - three handfuls of spinach, a few twigs of tarragon, leaves of any green salad and one banana are simply mixed in a blender.
You can also bake an apple with nuts. To do this, two green apples must be stuffed with "minced meat" of five walnuts, 2 teaspoons of brown sugar or honey and raisins. Fruits will be ready in 20 minutes, the temperature of their baking in the oven should be at least 200 degrees.
Finally, lovers of oriental sweets can easily cook kozinaki from sunflower seeds, and the butter that is present in the recipe, you just need to replace the vegetable.