Calendar of what to eat on Christmas Day. Christmas fast: when it begins, the essence of fasting, what and when you can eat, signs. Salad "Fruit Pair"

The Advent Fast 2018-2019 will begin on November 28 and will last until January 6. The daily food calendar for the laity will tell you what can be included in the daily menu.

The essence of fasting is to prepare for one of the main church holidays - the Nativity of Christ. Believers thank God for a good harvest, prepare for a great event.

Christmas post: its duration, essence

The fast will last for 40 days. At this time, the laity should limit themselves in food, entertainment. During the fasting period, food of animal origin is prohibited. In addition, believers should refrain from holding fun activities, sinful thoughts. Prayers will help you become more humble, and thank the Lord for the joys in life.

yandex_ad_1 The purpose of fasting is to strengthen the spirit of a person. Eating only lean food, thoughts become bright and pure.

Strict restrictions while fasting

The period from 20 to 25 December is the most strict. At this time, attention should be paid to many points. On Saturday and Sunday it is forbidden to eat fish dishes. Alcoholic beverages will also have to be abandoned.

Fasting is necessary not only physically, but also spiritually. Fasting should be associated with prayers, forgiveness of offenses, exclusion of fun, watching TV, repentance, abstinence from vices and passions. This will allow you to cleanse yourself of sins and make your thoughts bright.

Christmas post: menu

Restrictions lasting 40 days should not be taken as a punishment. On the contrary, they should bring joy because they managed to prove their faith and love to God.

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Believers who intend to have a spiritual experience during Lent 2019 should forego some food. The daily food calendar will be an excellent clue for the laity. It will help you understand when you can eat a particular food.

In the table you can find all the information of interest, and on its basis to make a daily menu.

Day of the week

date, menu

11/28/18 - 12/19/18 12/20/18 - 01/01/19 01/02/19 - 01/06/19 Monday

Hot food without added oil. Preference should be given to lean dishes: soups, cereals, mushrooms, stewed vegetables.

Xerophagy

Fish dishes are an excellent choice. They can be cooked in any form.

Hot food without added oil. Preference should be given to lean dishes: soups, cereals, mushrooms, stewed vegetables.

Preference should be given to food of plant origin, cooked without oil. Bread, fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, honey, nuts are good choices.

Preference should be given to food of plant origin, cooked without oil. Bread, fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, honey, nuts are good choices.

Hot dishes with the addition of vegetable oil.

Hot food without added oil. Preference should be given to lean dishes: soups, cereals, mushrooms, stewed vegetables.

Preference should be given to food of plant origin, cooked without oil. Bread, fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, honey, nuts are good choices.

Preference should be given to food of plant origin, cooked without oil. Bread, fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, honey, nuts are good choices.

Preference should be given to food of plant origin, cooked without oil. Bread, fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, honey, nuts are good choices.

Fish dishes are permitted. They can be cooked in any form.

Hot dishes with the addition of vegetable oil.

Sunday

Fish dishes are permitted. They can be cooked in any form.

Fish delicacies will be an excellent choice.

Hot dishes with the addition of vegetable oil.

The table is compiled by the days of the week, and is divided into time periods. For each period, allowed products are presented that should be included in the daily menu.

Advent Rules

Christmas Post 2019 will start very soon. To pass all the tests, you need to familiarize yourself with some rules. Abstinence in food is not the main thing. It is important to think about spiritual values. As for pregnant women and sick people, they can not limit themselves in nutrition.

But they will have to follow the following fasting rules:

A few days before the event, you need to confess. This will help you start a new path with a pure heart.

You can not think about the bad and doubt the correctness of your choice. It is important to bring the matter to the end, leaving all grievances in the past.

Entertainment and fun will have to be abandoned. You can not noisily celebrate the holidays and think about sins.

Free time should be devoted to prayers, going to church. This will help you continue on your path and prove your faith to God.

Starting January 7, you can leave your post. In this case, you can not overload the body with heavy food. It is necessary to introduce fatty foods into the diet gradually. This will help keep you healthy.

yandex_ad_1 These simple rules will help you pass the test and return to normal life. In addition, you will be able to feel lightness, thoughts will become bright, and the house will be filled with positive energy.

Advent is the last of the year. Many believers take the holiday seriously, prefer to strictly pass all the tests. This applies not only to food restrictions, but also to abstaining from family life, refusing holidays and fun. It is desirable to spend all free time in prayers. This helps to cleanse the soul and thoughts from sins, and prove one's faith in the Lord.

The last of the multi-day fasts of the year is Rozhdestvensky or Filippov. The second name arose because the conspiracy before its beginning (14.11. according to the old style) falls on the day of the memory of St. Philip. The Advent itself has clear deadlines: each year it begins on November 28, lasts 40 days, and ends on January 6.

Observance of the restrictions during this period allows Orthodox people to give a feasible sacrifice in gratitude for the harvest, cleanse their flesh and spiritually prepare for one of the greatest holidays for all Christians.

Duration

Initially, the Nativity fast lasted only a week, but after the proclamation of this period by the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke during the council as a common Christian tribute of gratitude to the Lord God, it was increased to 40 days and received a common name in the Church Charter - Forty Days.

Just like every year, in 2018 it starts on November 28 (Wednesday) and lasts 5.5 weeks until Christmas Eve - January 6, 2019 (Sunday).

Spiritual basis

Those believers who intend to take the path of limitations during this period should understand that the meaning of the Advent fast is to get another spiritual experience. It is important to feel and realize that carnal pleasures are secondary, and sometimes they make it difficult to hear the voice of God that sounds inside every Orthodox. At this time, a person must realize the sinfulness of his existence and sincerely desire to repent and make himself purer, more enduring and more submissive to all the trials that are prepared by fate.

For the same purpose, all the weeks of Fortecost and another 11 days after it (Christmas time), the church does not conduct wedding ceremonies: worldly needs and personal joys should not overshadow the main spiritual goal of fasting during this period.

Restrictions during these 40 days should not be taken as punishment. On the contrary, there should be light and joy in the soul from a small fraction of the fact that a believer is able to express his love for the Father-God and Jesus Christ.

A moderate fasting diet reduces in people the passionate and sinful thoughts that may arise due to excessive eating. But the general goal is not to weaken a person, but to strengthen his spirit, to which light and unburdened flesh will obey.

Rules of the Advent

For those who want to enter the Nativity fast as the church teaches, you need to know what rules should be followed during this period:

• A few days before the start, you can repent and receive a blessing from the priest.
• It is impossible to allow anger, envy, despondency in the soul. If there are doubts that it will be possible to endure to the end, you need to go to church for advice. It is important to remember that God does not give anyone more than what a person can handle.
• During these months, entertainment events, holidays, entertainment spectacles should be avoided. This is important, both from a spiritual point of view and from a practical point of view: during the holidays it is easier to be tempted and break the Lenten diet.
• Intimate relationships should be avoided.
• During this period, you need to attend church as often as possible.

Nutrition principles

For the entire period of restrictions, it is important to abandon products of animal origin. Cottage cheese, meat, butter, cheese, eggs can be eaten only after Christmas Eve. You can replace these products with mushrooms, beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, mung beans and other legumes.

The basis of the diet will be lean soups and cereals. Cereals during these 40 days will dominate the table, but it is important to remember that they must be cooked only on water and without adding butter, it is also advisable not to put salt and sugar. You can cook wheat, semolina, corn, barley, buckwheat, oatmeal and other cereals.

Do not abuse various seasonings or eat pickled vegetables. But fresh vegetables, stewed, boiled, cooked in a double boiler are ideal as lean food. The same applies to fruits, you can use different types of nuts and honey.

It will be useful to use vegetable oil. You should not limit yourself to sunflower oil, you can also use olive, corn, linseed, soybean, mustard, sesame, walnut, pumpkin, etc.

Perfectly complement the diet of fish and seafood. It is better to choose low-fat varieties with white fillet: pollock, cod, capelin, squid. From it you can cook steam cutlets, bake in the oven, dry, etc. Soups can be prepared on the basis of canned fish. Vegetable salads with tuna, as well as seaweed, are also perfect.

Bread is allowed, but it is better to give preference to gray rye.

Every Wednesday and Friday, the requirements are tightened, so on these days the use of fish and vegetable oils is excluded.

The main requirement for the fasting period is to provide yourself with the most varied food within the framework established by church canons. This will ensure the supply of all the necessary nutrients and vitamins, and will also have the necessary cleansing effect for the digestive system.

Meals by day

In order to make it easier to navigate during the Christmas Lent, you can use the daily meal schedule:

• November 28 - traditionally on the first day you need to cook lean kutya, which should be treated to all guests at home.
• From November 28 to December 19 (St. Nicholas Day) - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it is advisable to eat thermally unprocessed food, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays you can eat hot. On weekends, you can afford about 100 ml of dry or semi-sweet red wine diluted with water.
• From December 20 to January 1 - three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) - lean without oil, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends - relaxation days, you can drink hot tea, eat fish dishes.

• January 2 to January 5: The last week of the fast is more strict. You need to give up sugar, salt and hot drinks, but otherwise stick to the diet of the previous period.
• January 6 - until the stars appear in the sky, you can not eat, you can only drink water. After the appearance of the first star, one should break the fast with sochi from rice or wheat grains soaked in water with the addition of honey, dried fruits and nuts.

After stopping the fast, one should not immediately start eating a lot of different foods, it is especially necessary to introduce fatty foods.

The clergy emphasize that during the Nativity Fast it is important to feel how the flesh becomes purer, lighter. It is necessary to forgive all your offenders and enter the Nativity of Christ with a bright soul.

Christmas Lent Rules: video

The Advent Lent, which is the last of this year, began on Tuesday, November 28th. It will last 40 days and end on the feast of the Nativity of Christ - January 7th.

The Nativity fast is not considered as strict as, for example, the Great or Assumption, but it also has its own restrictions, traditions and customs. Nevertheless, its relaxation is allowed for sick people, pregnant and lactating women, as well as children.

The editors of the site figured out what rules people should follow during the Advent, what you can eat and what you can’t do.

Why fasting lasts exactly 40 days

There are several explanations why the Advent fast lasts 40 days. The number 40 has always had a sacred meaning for Christians - Moses led the Jewish people in the desert for forty years; for forty days and forty nights Jesus fasted in the wilderness before revealing himself to the world and starting the path of serving people; for forty days the resurrected Jesus appears to people before his ascension.

In addition to this, the number 40 in this case was found to have a physiological explanation, which does not apply to the church. The ideal period for the development of a child in the womb is 40 weeks. During this time, the child is fully formed and ready to meet the new world.

Ministers say that the church has always been sensitive and approaches the issues of the human spirit and the properties of human flesh, therefore the duration of the Nativity fast was determined to be 40 days.

Why Fast Before Christmas

Winter fasting among Orthodox Christians serves as a kind of preparation for the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Believers must cleanse themselves and prepare for the coming of the Son of God, who gave his life for the good of people.

In these 40 days, you need to limit yourself not only in food, but also spiritually. Priests draw attention to the fact that fasting without prayer is a common diet. People at this time are obliged to avoid any quarrels and conflicts, to eradicate evil deeds, to forgive insults, and also to refrain from intimacy, entertainment and entertainment events.

"Lent is always a time of change. Everyone outlines some goals for themselves for a given period. Goals are different, big and small. It all depends on the spiritual maturity of a person: some plan to go to church for services more, others gather their courage to read in the morning and in the evening, a prayer rule instead of short prayers, still others try to strictly observe the fast, and someone refuses sweets for this time.When setting goals, we must be clearly aware of why we are going to do something.If our plans are not Christ, they will not change our lives, our souls. With the same success, you can use fasting for weight loss and diet, which some people do. Fasting is intended for something else, "said Metropolitan Boryspil.

What and when to eat

The Advent fast is divided into three stages - from November 28 to December 19, from December 20 to January 1, and from January 2 to January 6. In this case, for each individual period, there are rules for eating, but their general principle remains the same. It is strictly forbidden to eat: meat, eggs, milk, cheese, butter. However, at this time, believers should eat: vegetables (potatoes, beets, carrots, cabbage, legumes, onions), fruits (apples, pears, bananas, oranges, tangerines, mangoes, papaya, pineapple), berries (grapes, persimmons), mushrooms , cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, etc.), bread (crackers), herbs, nuts (including seeds), honey.

Here's what the food calendar looks like by day in Advent :

Monday - hot vegetable food without vegetable oil;

tuesday, thursday, saturday, sunday - hot meal with butter, fish;

Wednesday, Friday - dry food.

December 4: on the feast of the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, you can afford a small amount of red wine.

Monday - vegetable dishes without any oil from grains and milk;

Tuesday, Thursday - hot meal with butter;

Friday - dry eating;

Saturday, Sunday - vegetable menu dishes with butter, fish.

1st of January: after the onset of the secular holiday - the New Year - you can afford some wine.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry eating;

Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without butter;

Saturday, Sunday - hot vegetable dishes with vegetable oil.

6th January: On Christmas Eve, a particularly strict fast should be observed. You can eat only after vespers sochivo - sweet porridge, usually made from rice or wheat flour.

What traditions should be followed in fasting

There are some traditions and ceremonies that must be observed during the Advent Fast. During this period, believers need to read the Gospel more often - those psalms that are read in the temple or everything in a row. At the same time, those people who regularly read the Gospel should also regularly read the Psalter.

It is alleged that on any day of fasting, you can perform the rite of baptism, but you can’t get married, so all wedding celebrations must be planned before the start of the post or after the Nativity of Christ. In addition, for those who decide to marry in the registry office, this period is also not the most suitable, as this is a period of abstinence and prayers.

In general, the church does not recommend celebrating any significant dates during the Nativity Fast, since it is imperative to abandon the use of alcohol, except in cases where it is necessary to take medications based on alcohol or wine.

The winter period for Orthodox Christians is always associated with the entry into forty days of advent, which starts November 28(November 15, old style) and ends on the day of the great holiday. This fast was established so that, having been cleansed by repentance, prayer and fasting and thus enlightened in soul and heart, we could worthily greet the Son of God who appeared in the world, “ for us for the sake of man and for ours for the sake of salvation who descended from heaven».

The history of the establishment of the Advent

From stories of Advent it is known that it was established in the times of early Christianity and already from the fourth century it was accepted for observance. However, the final rule of fasting was only formed in the middle of the twelfth century, in 1166, when, by decision of the Constantinople Patriarch Luke Chrysoverg, under Emperor Manuel, it everywhere became forty days.

According to Rev. Simeon of Thessalonica, « the fast of the Christmas Fortecost depicts the fast of Moses, who, having fasted for forty days and forty nights, received the inscription of the words of God on stone tablets. And we, fasting for forty days, contemplate and accept the living word from the Virgin, not inscribed on stones, but incarnated and born, and partake of His Divine flesh».

By the name of the holy Apostle Philip, on whose feast day a conspiracy often falls, Christmas post also called " Filippov' or, colloquially, ' Filippovka". It would be appropriate to briefly mention here the life of the holy apostle.

The Holy Apostle Philip, a native of the city of Bethsaida (Galilee), was a deep connoisseur of Holy Scripture and, correctly understanding the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, expected the coming of the Messiah. At the call of the Savior (John 1:43), he followed Him. The Holy Gospel speaks of the Apostle Philip several times: he brought the Apostle Nathanael to Christ (John 1:46); the Lord asked him how much money was needed to buy bread for 5,000 people (John 6:7); he brought the Greeks who wanted to see Christ (John 12:21-22); finally, during the Last Supper he asked Christ about God the Father (John 14:8). After Pentecost, the apostle preached the Gospel in Galilee, accompanying the sermon with wondrous miracles. He then enlightened the Jews in Greece and converted many to Christ. From Hellas, St. the apostle went to Syria, Lydia, Mysia, Phrygia, preaching the Gospel everywhere and enduring all sorts of sorrows and hardships from his persecutors. He was accompanied by his sister Mariamia and St. app. Bartholomew. In the city of Hierapolis (Phrygia) there were many pagan temples, including a temple dedicated to snakes, where a huge echidna lived. St. Philip, by the power of prayer, killed the echidna, and also healed those who had been bitten by snakes. Among the healed was the wife of the ruler of the city, who converted to Christianity. Upon learning of this, the governor ordered the apostles to be seized and crucified headlong. An earthquake began and many pagans were covered with earth. St. Philip prayed for the salvation of the torturers. Many believed in Christ and demanded an end to the execution. Ap. Bartholomew, taken down from the cross, was alive, baptized all those who believed and appointed a bishop for them. St. app. Philip betrayed his spirit by dying on the cross.

The charter of the meal in Advent

Myself Christmas post could be divided into three periods. The first three weeks, until December 19 - memory, the charter is relatively lax: on Saturday, Sunday, as well as on Tuesdays and Thursdays, there is permission to fish. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - food without oil (or with vegetable oil, depending on the saint's memorial day). For the next two weeks, fish is allowed to be eaten only on Saturdays and Sundays, and the last 5 days, on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the charter in its severity coincides with. For detailed instructions on food for each day, see church calendar, since for the sake of the memory of deliberate saints, some indulgences may occur.

A special day on the eve of the great holiday - December 24, Christmas Eve. According to the established pious tradition, many Christians observe this day especially strictly and do not sit down to eat until the “first star” appears. Thus, with reverence, we remember the appearance of the miraculous Star of Bethlehem, which led the Eastern Magi to the manger of the born God-child. Sochivo is a lean dish that is most often made from wheat or rice with honey and fruits. Hence the name of this day - Christmas Eve. “Sochiv” used to be called not only porridge and any lean food, but also juice; or, as they said, "milk" of different seeds: poppy, hemp, sunflower, mustard, nut, almond, and others.

Divine Liturgy of the Nativity

The liturgical church charter also has some distinctive indications, consistently summing up and preparing us to celebrate the Nativity of the Savior. Starting from November 21st, when we celebrate and until the giving of the Nativity of Christ, at Matins, when the great doxology is sung, we sing a katavasia to Christmas ("Christ is born..."). On the Sundays preceding the Feast, their special statutory services rely twice. From December 11 inclusive, the service of the Week of the Holy Forefathers is sung, and after it comes the Week of the Holy Fathers, when we honor the ancient forefathers of Christ: “Forefather copulation, idlers, come let us praise Psalmically. Adam's forefather. Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. By the law, Moses, and Aaron and Jesus. Samuel and David. With them Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Daniel, and both ten. Together Elijah, and Elese, and all. Zechariah and the Baptist. And preaching Christ, life and resurrection to our kind” (verse to the Feast). We serve here according to the menaion and the three holy youths, who, for the sake of fasting, chastity and other charitable virtues, alone among many people, were able to resist the lawless royal command to worship the golden idol and were not afraid to enter the fire for their faith. As we know from the Scriptures, the Lord preserved them in a burning red-hot furnace, although the flames escaping from it managed to burn even the wicked pagans standing nearby.

Special days begin on December 20 - Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Here (and until January 14 - the Giving of the Epiphany inclusive) Oktay is omitted (except for Sunday service), and on Sundays, if there is no memory of a deliberate saint, polyeleos is omitted. At Matins on weekdays, two kathismas are read, and at the Companion, instead of the usual canon of the Theotokos, the Three Hymns are indicated in the menaia on a row.

On December 24, the Royal Hours are served, in the image of the service of the hours of Epiphany Christmas Eve and the Great Heel. This is a special kind of service, when at all hours, in addition to the psalms, we also read proverbs, the Apostle and the Gospel, and also sing stichera dedicated to the events of the Feast. “Royal” hours are called, as they say, for the sake of the custom of the first Byzantine kings, who certainly attended this kind of worship.

Holy Fathers on fasting

The patristic teachings say a lot about the benefits and necessity of Christian fasting: “As a cloud hides the light of the sun, so gluttony obscures the knowledge of the mind and drives away the Holy Spirit”; “If you hunger for God, thirst and humble yourself, you will soon be glorified by God”; “Who here hungers and thirsts for God, to him, on the day of retribution, He will show true wealth”; “The pillar and foundation of all good is fasting with silence, and he who neglects it loses all good.” ("Mitherikon").

But when abstaining from fasting, it is also necessary to observe a “spiritual fast” in order to “fast” from envy, slander, condemnation, etc., as it is sung about in the verses of the Lenten Triodion. In one of the most famous and widely read Old Believer books, “Chrysostom”, before the start of the Nativity Fast, on the 22nd week in memory of All Saints, a special word is also said about how we should exercise in Lenten feat so that this fast is truly virtuous and pious:

“Today, beloved, let us bow to the healer of the soul, calling us to heal our invisible ulcers, and not shunning our spiritual passions. Behold, the time of hunger is coming, giving our saved health to our souls and bodies. By fasting and prayers and spiritual labors, he commands to be anointed as an ascetic.

Prayer and hunger victory over the devil. Prayer and fasting are the wealth of piety. Prayer and fasting of death the second after the resurrection delivers. Prayer and fasting of the goodness of a warrior on a fleshless warrior is eaten.

But when there is fasting and prayer with almsgiving, then the worker of piety will gain wealth with God. Give more alms to the poor, he lends God, who, for alms to the poor, gives the Kingdom of Heaven, and the delight of paradise.

For this reason, to the Jews, as if they do not create hunger with alms, the prophet says: I chose not such a fast, says the Lord, but to humble his soul to every man. What is the use of the Alkati with their flesh, and oppress others, and the estates will be filled; what is the use of abstaining from eating, and copulating for fornication; What is the use of the mind to be, and the naked are not clothes; what good is it to dry up the flesh, but not to feed the greedy; what good is it to crush the udders, but not to have mercy on widows, and not to deliver orphans in troubles languishing.

What is the use of a person to be called a Christian, but to do deeds of filth; not by rank, for men will receive honor from God, but by deed.

For this sake, let us strive, brothers, to flee the wrath and wrath of God, by true repentance, fasting and tears, not repaying anyone evil for evil, nor slander for slander, keeping the word of the Lord, saying to us: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who do you grievances, and mutually give from them do not expect to accept, may your reward be many in heaven and you will be called the sons of the Most High.

The brethren hopefully accept that sonship, let us move more strongly, not to return to the studish deeds and our godless deeds: but let us cross the fasting abyss, let us reach the highest monasteries, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever.
(“Chrysostom”, “Instruction of St. John Chrysostom on fasting”).

How the Advent was established

The establishment of the Nativity Fast, as well as other multi-day fasts, dates back to the ancient times of Christianity. Since the fourth century, St. , Philastrius, mention the Nativity fast in their creations. In the fifth century, he wrote about the antiquity of the Nativity Fast.

Initially, the Advent fast lasted seven days for some Christians, and a few more for others. At the council of 1166, which was held under the Patriarch Luke of Constantinople and the Byzantine emperor Manuel, all Christians were supposed to fast for forty days before the great holiday.

Patriarch Theodore IV Balsamon of Antioch wrote that “the most holy patriarch himself said that although the days of these fasts (Assumption and Christmas. - Ed.) are not determined by the rule, we are forced, however, to follow the unwritten church tradition and must fast ... from November 15th” .

The Advent Fast is the last multi-day fast of the year. It begins on November 15 (28 according to the new style) and lasts until December 25 (January 7), lasts for forty days and therefore is called the Fortecost in the Church Charter, just like Great Lent. Since the conspiracy for fasting falls on the day of remembrance of St. Apostle Philip (November 14 old style), then this post is called Filippov.

Why was the Advent Post established?

Christmas post- winter fast, it serves for us to consecrate the last part of the year by a mysterious renewal of spiritual unity with God and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.

In the third century, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is mentioned by St. Hippolyte.

During the persecution of Christians by Diocletian, at the beginning of the fourth century, in 303, 20,000 Nicodemian Christians were burned in the temple on the very feast of the Nativity of Christ.

“From the activity of the saints, from the life of our Savior and from the rules of life of those who live decently, it is clear that it is wonderful and useful to always be ready and be in feat, work and patience; however, do not weaken yourself by excessive fasting and do not bring the body into inactivity. If the flesh is inflamed in youth, much must be abstained from; if she is weak, then you need to eat enough to satiety, regardless of other ascetics - many or few people fast; look and reason according to your weakness, as much as you can accommodate: each has a measure and an inner teacher - his own conscience ... Moderate and reasonable fasting is the foundation and head of all virtues. If anyone wants to have a firm mind from bad thoughts, let him refine his flesh with fasting. It is impossible to be a priest without fasting; as breathing is necessary, so is fasting. Fasting, having entered the soul, kills the sin lying in the depths. (St. Paisios).

from the book "How to spend Advent, Christmas and Christmas time"