Lent: what can be done and what is prohibited during these days

Great Lent began on Monday, March 18 - Orthodox Christians will not only abstain from animal food for 7 weeks, but will also remember the last 40 days of Jesus Christ's earthly life.

Source: freepik

The duration of Great Lent is longer than the time Christ fasted in the desert, it is 48 days, while the church imposes many restrictions on believers and not only on food.

Read more:

Lent 2024: how long it lasts and when it ends

Read article

WHAT CANNOT BE DONE DURING THE GREAT LAST

Everyone knows that meat is prohibited during any fast, but Great Lent, the main purpose of which is preparation for the most important holiday for Christians - Easter, has well-defined rules.

• All seven weeks of fasting, it is forbidden to eat not only meat, but also any products of animal origin - eggs, milk, fermented milk products
• The first and last weeks of Great Lent are the strictest in terms of restrictions — Clean Monday and Good Friday — days of complete fasting.
• On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you cannot eat cooked or even reheated food - these are dry food days.
• For the entire period of Great Lent, the church recommends giving up any entertainment, not going to the cinema, the theater, or attending concerts. It is not even recommended for the orthodox to use social networks, but in our time, perhaps, this is too much.
• On the eve of Christ's resurrection, couples are not married in the church, and if you have registered in the registry office on these days, it is better to celebrate the wedding after the end of the period of abstinence.
• For particularly zealous observers of church rules, it is impossible to have sex during all seven weeks of Great Lent ("to give up conjugal life").
• You can't spend all 48 days of Great Lent making scandals, wishing evil on your friend, you should maintain a sense of gratitude for peace for your life and your loved ones.

In principle, all prohibitions are aimed at one thing - to give up everything that can bring joy, and positive emotions are suggested to be sought in prayers and thoughts about God.

Source: freepik

WHAT CAN AND SHOULD BE DONE IN GREAT LAST

• Adhering to food restrictions for such a long time is far from everyone's benefit, moreover, the church is loyal to breaking the fast and does not recommend fasting for the elderly, the sick, pregnant women and small children. Therefore, it is possible to feed children with normal food, but without special refinements.
• It is possible and necessary for believers to go to church, to listen to services - this is an obligatory action.
• Charity work is mandatory - you can donate blood, help with money or your skills to those who need help. For example, he will transfer funds to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to a charity fund, to help an animal shelter. Look around - so many people and animals need help, and not only financial, and during Lent is a great reason to remember them.
• As for the diet for Great Lent 2024, on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, you can eat cooked food with the addition of vegetable oil, on Wednesday and Friday - cooked food without oil, but a little wine is allowed.

Whether it is worth adhering to such strict rules of Lent these days is a personal choice of everyone, but it is very important to remember that even religious orthodoxy do not welcome fasting to the detriment of health. This is especially true for small children — a violation of the nutritional balance for such a long time can noticeably harm an actively growing organism.