The Fasting Rule of the Orthodox Church | Weekly Fast

The Church’s traditional teaching on fasting is not widely known or followed in our day. The following information may be helpful for those Orthodox Christians seeking to keep a more disciplined fast.

Though the rules may appear quite strict to those who have not seen them before, they were developed with all of the faithful, not only monks, in mind. (Monks do not eat meat, so rules regarding eating meat cannot have been written with them in mind. Similarly, rules regarding marital abstinence apply only to the laity and married clergy.) Though few laymen can keep the rule in its fullness, it seems best to present it mostly without judgment of what level is “appropriate” for the laity, since this is a matter best worked out in each Christian’s setting, under the guidance of his spiritual fathers.

Weekly Fast
Unless a fast-free period has been declared, Orthodox Christians are to keep a strict fast every Wednesday and Friday.

The following foods are avoided:
- Meat, including poultry, and any meat products such as lard and meat broth.
- Fish (meaning fish with backbones; shellfish are permitted).
- Eggs and dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, etc.)
- Olive oil. A literal interpretation of the rule forbids only olive oil. Especially where olive oil is not a major part of the diet, the rule is sometimes taken to include all vegetable oils.
- Wine and other alcoholic drinks. In the Slavic tradition, beer is often permitted on fast days.

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