Fasting with Christians is a time of restraint and humility, a period of spiritual preparation for a particular church event. In the Christian tradition, there are several posts at once, which can last more than a month.
Why do I need a post
Christianity offers a person to cultivate in various virtues. The main ones are love for neighbors, alms, kindness, humility, keeping thoughts. A special place is given to prayer, as communion with God and, of course, fasting. The Holy Fathers say that fasting and prayer are two wings, thanks to which the soul rises to the sky like a bird, leaving all earthly and material. Many people are afraid of fasting, considering it a very difficult feat to abstain from animal products.
What posts are
There are several types of posts. Many days, one days, and those that a person imposes on himself in preparation for the holy communion. Throughout the year, Wednesday and Friday are considered fasting days. The semantic load of precisely these days is the event of the betrayal of Christ and His death (on Wednesday they betrayed, and on Friday they crucified). However, there are several weeks of the year when Wednesday and Friday are canceled as fasting days. This is Christmas, Holy Week, Shrovetide, Trinity Week. If Christmas falls on Wednesday or Friday, then the post is also canceled.
There are many days of posts. The oldest in the Christian tradition is Lent, which lasts 7 weeks. It ends with the feast of the blessed Christ's Resurrection. This post is rolling, it can begin in late February or already in March. It all depends on Easter.
After the end of this post, meat is allowed for almost two months. Then comes the Petrov post. Its duration depends on Easter and the time of its celebration. If Easter is early, then fasting is long, late is short. It begins on Monday of the week of All Saints, and always ends on the day of remembrance of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul, that is, July 12.
There are two more long posts - Christmas and Assumption. The first runs from November 28 to January 6, the second from August 14 to 28. Thus, there are four multi-day fasts, Wednesday and Friday, as well as three days of abstinence before taking the holy communion.
In addition to Wednesday and Friday, there are one-day posts. Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 27), The Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist (September 11). It turns out that there are more lean days per year than ordinary days when it is allowed to eat meat.
