Christmas Fast: Beginning, Rules, and History of the Church Fast

On November 15th, the period of the Christmas Fast begins, a time of spiritual preparation preceding the Nativity of Christ. According to the Typikon, the liturgical statute of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BPC), this fast is second in length, yielding only to the Great Lent.

The Christmas Fast lasts forty days. However, it is not as strict as the Great and the Theotokos Fast, but is closer to the Apostles' (Peter's) Fast. On the eve of the fast, believers celebrate Christmas Forgiveness, a moment of mutual forgiveness and subsequent consumption of rich food. This is a time for conversations and tuning the spirit to the upcoming period dedicated to the Nativity of Christ.

What can be consumed during the Christmas Fast?

During the first week of the Christmas Fast, as well as from December 20th to 24th, inclusive, it is only allowed to consume plant-based food with olive oil. On the remaining days of this fast, with the exception of Wednesdays and Fridays, the consumption of snails, mussels, octopuses, and other seafood delicacies, traditionally considered fasting foods, is permitted. Traditionally, on November 21st, the Presentation of the Theotokos, and on December 6th, St. Nicholas Day, the consumption of fish is also permitted.

Preparation for Holy Communion

Believers who are preparing for confession and Holy Communion need to discuss with their confessor the way and degree of fasting they should observe. People suffering from illnesses or chronic diseases must necessarily consult their confessor or their parish priest, not forgetting to share the opinion of their treating physician.

History of the Christmas Fast

The establishment of the 40-day fast, associated with the celebration of the Nativity of Christ on December 25th, happened relatively late - in the 12th century. This is closely related to the establishment of the exact date of the holiday, which in turn determines the importance of the Nativity of Christ as the second most important Lord's Feast after the Resurrection of Christ (Pascha, Easter).

The celebration of the Nativity of Christ among Christians from the Western churches began around 350 AD. In the Eastern churches, the holiday was introduced by St. Gregory the Theologian in 380 AD, with Antioch following in 375 AD, Alexandria - in 432 AD under St. Cyril of Alexandria, and Jerusalem - under Patriarch Juvenal.

The dates on which this holiday was celebrated were also different: in the Western churches - on December 25th, in Antioch - on January 4th, in Alexandria - on April 18th or 19th, or on May 29th. The churches of Asia Minor celebrated it on January 6th or 10th. It was only at the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century that a relative unity in the celebration of the Nativity of Christ occurred and all Orthodox churches began to celebrate it on December 25th.

A certain number of fasting days, immediately before the Nativity of Christ, have existed since the time when the holiday was celebrated together with Epiphany. St. Theophilus of Alexandria mentions a twelve-day fast at that time. Later, when the whole Church began to celebrate the Nativity of Christ separately from the feast of Epiphany, the Epiphany Fast was reduced to one day.

In 1166, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Luke Chrysoberges, decreed that one should fast for forty days before the Nativity of Christ.