Orthodoxy has many different distinctive features, and one of them is the abundance of the strictest posts that every believer must observe. There are specific daily dietary norms that you must adhere to during a certain period of time. Over the years, there are several posts of various importance, and today you will find out what post is held in July. This is one of the most interesting, unusual and erratic posts observed by Orthodox believers. It does not have a clear established beginning and can last both very short and very long. So what is this post in July?
What is this post?
There can only be one post in July. This is the Petrov post, which is also called summer, or Apostolic. It is called so for the reason that it is installed before the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul. It is not the most severe, but of particular interest is its duration, which will be discussed in more detail in this article. Now you know what post takes place in July, but this is only a small fraction of the information that can be found in this material. Here you can find out everything about this post, starting with its features and ending with what day you can eat what food, so as not to break any rules.
Duration Features
As mentioned earlier, this post does not have a clear start day. How does this happen? Why does a post in July 2017 last longer than the same post in 2016? Petrov post owes its unusual floating start to Easter, as it is tied to this great holiday. How exactly are these two events connected?
The fact is that after Easter, after exactly fifty days, the Trinity is celebrated, and exactly one week after the Trinity, this post begins. Accordingly, the earlier Easter, the earlier the Petrov Lent begins. And it always ends on the same day, so the duration of the fast varies from year to year. Well, now you know the details of the features of the duration of this post, so you can safely calculate how long Petrov lasted in July 2017.
Petrov post this year
So, first of all, it should be noted when the post ends in July. Unlike the floating start, the end of this post always falls on the same day, namely July 11th. As for the beginning, in 2017 this post began on June 12. Accordingly, in 2017, Petrov's post lasted a whole month, unlike in 2016, when he passed in just two weeks.
There is another very interesting point, because of which the post lasted one year longer this year. The fact is that Wednesday came July 12th, and Wednesday, as everyone knows, in Orthodoxy is a fast day. Therefore, although the post ended on July 11, on July 12 it actually lasted due to a separate fasting day.
Well, now you know what post took place in July 2017 and for how long. Now it is time to take a look at the features of the diet of Orthodox believers during this month in detail.
Xerophagy
Now we know the numbers of the Petrov post, and now we can find out which of these numbers which dishes were allowed. In this article, information will be provided in increasing order, so first we will talk about the days for which dry eating was typical. If readers are unfamiliar with Orthodox traditions, then first you need to figure out what it is.
Dry eating is a strict fasting, which involves eating only bread and raw vegetables and fruits. Within the framework of this post, dry-eating days fell on Wednesday and Friday, and in the sum of such days there were as many as seven. These are the most difficult days for believers, because they are forbidden almost all food, in addition, they can not eat anything hot.
Hot food without oil
If we talk about the Orthodox post in July, then, of course, it is not limited only to dry-eating. In this case, on Mondays, hot food is also added to fruits, vegetables and bread, but without seasoning with butter. Accordingly, five times in all the time of fasting you will have to eat this way. These fasting days in July, as you can already see, are limited. But what can you eat on the other days?
Adding fish dishes
Having received the answer to the question of whether there is a post in July, you can immediately understand that you will not see meat dishes at this time. However, most of the time you will be able to eat fish dishes, since on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays you can add fish dishes to your diet. Without this, it would be difficult for Orthodox believers to survive such a harsh fast. In the old days, many people had to manage scarce dishes and river fish, which they managed to catch. Fortunately, these days with food everything is much simpler, so everyone can survive such a post.
Weekend
What is the difference between weekends during the Petrov Lent, which takes place in the summer, in June and July? The fact is that Saturday and Sunday offers believers the same menu as Tuesday and Thursday, however, you can drink a glass of wine, because wine, as everyone knows, is the blood of Jesus. Accordingly, it helps to diversify nutrition during fasting.
Special day
Special attention should be paid to the seventh of July, since it is Friday, therefore, according to the logic, there should be dry eating on this day. However, in reality, on this day you can eat both hot food and fish dishes. Moreover, you can even put the wine on the table. Why so? The fact is that on July 7 there is an Orthodox holiday, namely the Nativity of John the Baptist. Accordingly, the standard rules of the Petrov Lent do not apply to this day. The same applies to another day, which was already mentioned earlier, namely July 12. If the post continued further, then on that day you should again observe dry eating. But Petrov Lent ends on July 11, and July 12 is a standard fasting day. This means that you can put on the table and hot dishes, and fish, and even wine.
Petrov post in other years
It has already been said above that last year the post was only two weeks, but this does not always happen. Even this year, Petrov post lasted a whole month. What will be next? What should you prepare for in 2018? In this article, the post of Peter was mentioned as an event that had already happened, because it was traditionally held in the summer. However, for the post of 2018, you can very well begin to prepare now. And the most important thing you need to know about is the date it started. It would seem that the post of 2017 was already quite long, but in 2018 you will find an even greater test. The fact is that the Petrov post will begin on June 4, that is, it will last more than a month.
This is not the longest post in history. The longest Petrov post had a duration of six weeks, that is, it began in May. Incidentally, the shortest summer post lasted only one week and one day, that is, from July 4 to 11. Unfortunately, nothing of the kind will happen in the coming years. The shortest Petrov post for the next five years will begin on June 28, and this will happen in 2021. As you can see, church posts in July in the near future will not be particularly short, so Orthodox believers will have to endure severe trials.
The severity of the post
Since we are talking about severity, it is necessary to compare this post with other large posts that have been waiting for Orthodox believers throughout the year. While this may seem like a pretty serious test, it really is not. Firstly, this post cannot be called severe, if only for the reason that it is summer. During this period, many people on their own will be happy to eat only vegetables and fruits. Hunger is not felt as much as in winter, so believers will not have any special problems with fasting.
Secondly, if you compare this post with others, such as Lent, which takes place from February to April, or the Christmas post, which runs from December to January, Petrov's post is not so severe. For example, during Lent, three days a week out of seven people need to adhere to dry eating, that is, eat only raw vegetables, fruits and bread. On the rest of the days, they can eat hot food, but they can not think not only about meat, but even about fish. Accordingly, it is impossible to call Petrov the post particularly severe, because in comparison with the same Great Lent it really fades.
Summarizing
Well, now absolutely all the details that relate to the Petrov post are indicated. This is very useful information for every Orthodox believer, because all such people must strictly observe all posts. And if you know when fasting begins, how long it will last, and also what foods are allowed to eat on any given day of fasting, then it will be much easier to prepare for it. Great attention should be paid to those who keep fasting. In this article, no one is trying to hurt the feelings of believers, but it is worthwhile to stick to your own fast, of your own free will, and not try to persuade anyone else to do this. In particular, we are talking about children who still cannot make a conscious religious choice. Moreover, fasting can have an extremely negative impact on the development of the child, so in no case should anyone be forced to stick to fasting. Only a person can decide whether he wants to fast or not.
The article covered all the necessary information about exactly how the Petrov post went in 2017, as well as how long it will last in 2018. It was indicated on which days which foods can be consumed, so believers can plan their diet for this period. As you might guess, this post is dedicated to how the apostles fasted in preparation for the worldwide preaching of the gospel. In addition, during this fast, the greatest apostles prepared successors for themselves, so do not underestimate its importance. Of course, it is not as famous and widespread as Lent or Christmas, but this does not mean that it is less important. Therefore, if you are a follower of Orthodoxy, then you should definitely know about this post in order not to miss it. With the information obtained from this article, you will not have any problems, and you can navigate the summer post freely and comfortably.
Well, at the moment it is necessary to prepare for the Christmas post, which begins on November 28, and ends on January 6 of next year. As for the next Petrov post, it was already said about his dates in 2018.