The Christmas fast begins on November 28 and continues until the first star appears on the sky on January 6. These days you can’t be aggressive, swear and scandal. Public joy is also considered a sin. And of course, some foods are forbidden at this time. Christmas fast is not as strict as Great, but Orthodox Christians have to impose quite severe restrictions on themselves.
Why do we need a Christmas post?
What foods can not be eaten in fasting? What you can eat at this time, and what you can’t, we will talk about this a little lower. To get started, let's figure out why the Christmas Lent is actually held and where this tradition came from.
Restriction in food intake during a certain period of time is regarded by the church as one of the ways of spiritual purification. Many believers today fast for precisely this reason. However, some people think that posts are just a good way to get rid of extra pounds and improve their health. How to relate to starvation at this time, therefore, is a personal matter for everyone.
Since Christmas fasting lasts exactly 40 days, it is also called Fourteenth. The tradition of purification through the prohibition of the use of certain products at this time has been going on since at least the 4th century. Christmas fasting is mentioned in the writings of St. Ambrose of Madiolan, Leo the Great and St. Augustine.
Christmas fast is being held, as one can already judge by its name, in order to purify itself before the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2000 years ago.
What food is there a complete ban on
So, what products are not worth buying in the post, what can you eat and what can not? From November 28 to January 6, it is strictly forbidden to eat primarily animal products. This means that the Christian will have to give up not only meat, but also milk, cheese, butter, eggs and all those dishes that contain these ingredients.
What can I eat in a post by day, and what can not
Until the second of January you can eat fish. But only after church service, in the evening, on weekends, on Tuesday or Thursday. In addition to animal products, Orthodox Christians at this time are forbidden to eat vegetable oil and almost all sweets. In the latter case, the exception is nuts, honey and fruits. Vegetable oil, like fish, is allowed to be eaten in small quantities only on Saturday, Sunday, Thursday and Tuesday. Believers receive some concessions during church holidays that fall during this time. On such days, you can eat fish.
Christmas Eve
January 6 is the day on which Christmas Day ends. What you can eat by day, we found out. January 6, you can not eat anything but soaked grains of wheat, honey and fruit. It is advisable even not to eat anything at all before the rise of the first star.
By tradition, by this time in every Orthodox family a table should be set for 12 people. However, it is still impossible to put food on it. Treats should be lean. You should also put a bunch of hay on the table. This attribute symbolizes the birth of Christ in a manger.
Who doesn’t have to fast
Significant concessions are being made to some people by the church at this time. You can not fast from November 28 to September 6 pregnant women and sick people. For baptized children, as well as for adults, food restrictions are mandatory. However, the church advises to accustom their fragile body to fasting gradually. And of course, the child should definitely explain why at this time he should not eat sweets or meat.
What can be eaten
So, products of animal origin - this is something that in no case should not be eaten in fasting. What can you eat at the same time so that the body does not experience a lack of vitamins and other beneficial substances? The list of foods allowed to eat during fasting, despite the large number of prohibitions, is quite wide. You can eat all plant foods. It can be fresh or canned vegetables, pasta, any cereals, fruits, mushrooms. It is allowed to eat and flour products. If you wish, you can prepare for yourself and your family dumplings with potatoes or cabbage, and on the days allowed for the use of vegetable oil, fry pies. Of course, all dishes can be eaten with bread. An exception to the Christmas post are butter flour products. Butter buns are forbidden to eat.
Meat - this is something that absolutely can not be eaten in fasting. What can you eat at the same time so that the body does not experience stress due to a sharp decrease in protein diet? Many believers during fasting replace meat products with soy. The church permits this. You can also eat peas, beans and lentils. Of course, it is allowed to eat all kinds of greens: parsley, dill, onions, etc.
Church Holidays in Christmas Fast
The following is a list of those days on which, according to tradition, you can eat fish:
November 29 (St. Matthew's Day ) ;
December 4 (Introduction to the Church of the Virgin);
December 6 (St. Alexander Nevsky Day);
December 13 (Day of St. Andrew the First-Called);
December 19 (Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker).
Fish, by the way, can be eaten on Christmas fast on Mondays, Fridays and Wednesdays. But only during all-night vigils.
What can I eat in fasting before Christmas to avoid health problems?
Doctors noticed that during fasting, including Rozhdestvensky, chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are much more aggravated in people. The point here, of course, is not the harm of starvation itself. Exacerbations occur due to a sharp transition of the body to another diet. In general, in order to avoid problems with the stomach and intestines, it is advisable to refuse meat even gradually. Reduce its amount in the diet should begin some time before fasting. During the fasting period, people who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract should eat, as already mentioned, more allowed foods containing protein.
Is it possible to move away from fasting in the New Year
So, what you can eat in the Christmas post, and what not, we found out. Prohibited mainly meat products. Meanwhile, it was at this time that the main secular holiday of the year, with its dainties and unbridled joy, fell. Sincerely believing Orthodox Church recommends not to eat any prohibited foods on this day. At the same time, one cannot condemn one's relatives for the violent, often public expression of joy and absorption of a huge amount of meat dishes. In order to preserve peace in a family where there are both believers and unbelievers, both quick and fast dishes should be put on the New Year's table.
Recipe
Next, let's see what you can eat in a post specifically. In particular, we will figure out how to cook a delicious potato salad with mushrooms. For this dish, you will need pickles in the amount of 150 g and 80 g of sauerkraut. Potatoes themselves need to be cooked 200 g, mushrooms - fresh, salted or pickled - 100 g. All ingredients need to be cut and thoroughly mixed. Greens are added at will. To prevent the salad from being too dry, you can season it with lean sauce. The latter is prepared from vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar. Add a little salt and pepper to the dressing.
Well, now you know what you can eat at the Christmas post, and what you can’t. Modest food is not worth it. But as you can see, even from the allowed foods you can cook very tasty dishes.