What to eat in passionate. Holy Week in detail: do's and don'ts. What can you eat during Holy Week?

The last week of Easter Lent is called Holy Week. This week received its name from the word “suffering”, “torment”.

What can you eat during Holy Week?

This is also related in the gospels of various saints. The events of Holy Week include the Last Supper, the Prayer of Gethsemane, the betrayal of Judas, the trial of Jesus by the Pharisees, the ascension to Calvary, the execution, death and subsequent Resurrection of our Savior.
Many believers do not know exactly what can be eaten during Holy Week, what indulgences are allowed, and on which days particularly strict restrictions must be observed. We offer you a similar description of the week for each day in two versions - for devout believers and for the laity.
This week, even those to whom the priest has given a blessing for relief during Lent due to illness or old age are advised not to eat meat, dairy, or eggs.

Monday

Strict fasting prescribes not to eat anything on this day in the morning, but at sunset you can eat bread, porridge in water without adding butter, but with sugar or jam, vegetables stewed in water, tea or compote.
You can drink water throughout the day.
Laity and those for whom the clergy allows relief are allowed boiled food with the addition of sunflower oil, tea, coffee, compote or juices throughout the day. Porridge, soups, lean gingerbread, everything is prepared without meat and dairy products.

In 2019 there will be no ordinary day of strict fasting. You can eat boiled food without adding sunflower oil, drink tea with sugar or jam.

Wednesday is considered a fast day even in ordinary times, but during Holy Week it is especially strict. Devout believers should not eat boiled food, drink only water during the day, and after sunset they can have bread and tea or compote. You can sweeten it, but do not add jam. In the evening, they eat only raw food that has not been subjected to heat treatment.
Laymen are allowed to eat boiled food, but without using sunflower oil. Lenten soups, stewed or baked vegetables, baked goods made from unleavened dough. You can drink tea, coffee, juices, compotes and jelly, naturally, without adding milk.

A typical day of strict fasting. You can eat boiled food without adding sunflower oil, drink tea with sugar or jam.
Laymen are allowed to cook with sunflower oil, but without adding dairy and meat products, as well as eggs.

The most terrible day in the history of Christianity is the eve of Easter. You can't eat anything at all. Even those who have received a relaxation of fasting in their diet are advised to abstain from food for as long as possible, preferably until sunset. You can only drink water. If you don’t have the strength not to eat anything, then you can have a snack with a slice of bread with water or any fruit (vegetable).

It is advisable to abstain as much as possible from boiled food, especially for those who will participate in the Procession and receive communion at the Altar. You can have breakfast with bread and water or tea, and have a snack of vegetables for lunch.
Lay people can eat boiled food without using sunflower oil, eggs, dairy products and meat in its preparation. This is all you can eat during Holy Week during Lent.

Resurrection

Great. This is the most important holiday for Christians. Christ is Risen! All Christians rejoice and rejoice at the miraculous resurrection of our Savior. On this day you can eat everything. Rich tables are set, on which there must be Easter cottage cheese, Easter eggs and Easter cakes. Traditionally, horseradish, a piece of lard and homemade sausage should be present on the table.
Happy Easter to you!

Lent is the longest. It begins immediately after Maslenitsa and lasts until Easter - a whole 48 days. The most difficult from a biological point of view are the first seven days, when the body experiences stress due to a change in diet. Due to the refusal of animal proteins and fats, hunger torments more often, you want to eat more, especially when it’s cold outside. The mood may even deteriorate. Well, now Lent is almost over - the strictest week has arrived, Holy Week.

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Holy Week is a time of repentance, reflection and fervent prayer, refusal not only from certain foods, but also from all bad habits and amusements. The purpose of Holy Week, like any fast, is an exercise in abstinence, cleansing the soul from passions and sinful thoughts, subordinating the body and soul to the spirit. Therefore, for example, being angry or depressed during Lent and Holy Week is as sinful as drinking wine and eating meat.

By the way, every day of Holy Week is called Great - at this time it is especially important to understand the meaning of Great Lent.

During Holy Week you can eat bread, fresh, pickled and dried vegetables, fruits, and mushrooms. At the same time, food should not be subjected to heat treatment: the basis of nutrition is raw vegetables and fruits, cooked without adding oil. That is, a week of continuous dry eating.

As for drinks, only cold infusions and teas are allowed. At the same time, according to the rules of Lent, you can only eat once during the day - in the evening.

But on Good Friday you will have to completely give up food - this day is considered not only the strictest, but also the most difficult in the entire period of Lent. According to the Bible, it was on this day that Jesus Christ was crucified.

On Saturday you can return to dry eating again. However, some believers continue full fasting even on this day. And only on Easter does the breaking of the fast begin, when it is allowed to eat fast food.

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Let us remind you that during Lent you cannot eat any types of meat and fish, eggs, as well as dairy products, sweets, mayonnaise and non-Lenten pastries. The only “sweet” exception is honey, which can be consumed on all days of Lent.

During Holy Week, you cannot have fun or attend entertainment events, but it is customary to attend church services and spend time in prayer, both at home and in church. In addition, during Holy Week they also try to prepare for the upcoming Easter: starting on Thursday, you can clean the house, bake Easter cakes, prepare Easter cottage cheese and, of course, paint eggs. All preparations should be completed by Saturday.

Important!

Not everyone can be too zealous when observing fasting. The test should cleanse the body and soul, but not harm health. If you have a metabolic disorder or any chronic diseases, you should definitely consult your doctor about strict dietary restrictions. Pregnant women and children should not fast: you can be stricter about dietary diversity, but you cannot deprive a growing body of the substances it needs vitally.

And, of course, don’t turn fasting into a fad diet. Its meaning: spiritual cleansing, not weight loss. If your goal is slimness, it is better to sign up for a gym and listen to the trainer.

Many people are interested in what they can eat during Lent during Holy Week (from April 13 to April 18, 2020). During the days of Great Lent, believers remember the events that happened about two thousand years ago - the forty days that Jesus Christ spent in the desert, His suffering (passion), death and burial.

During this time, it is prohibited to include animal products in the diet. This is meat and any meat dishes, fish and fish products, milk and all products based on it, eggs. In addition, during this period you should not drink alcohol.

Pay attention to food labels to avoid consuming animal ingredients that may be found in chocolate, baked goods, fast food products, etc.

What can you eat while fasting during Holy Week?

We will tell you about the diet during Holy Week day by day. What can you eat during Holy Week? IN Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week(April 13, 14 and 15, 2020, respectively), you must refrain from cooking, that is, limit yourself to raw vegetables and fruits.

You should eat only once a day, with exceptions made for children, sick people and the elderly. During the day, you can drink unsweetened tea, herbal infusions and other sugar-free drinks.

IN Maundy Thursday(April 16, 2020) you can eat hot food twice a day, add vegetable oil to your dishes and drink a little wine - in memory of the last meal of Jesus Christ with his disciples, when he predicted the betrayal of one of them.

IN Good Friday(April 17, 2020) you cannot eat before the shroud is taken out in the temple. You should talk with your confessor about the possibility of observing strict fasting.

With a less strict diet during Holy Week, you can include raw dishes on the menu, that is, those that have not been cooked: vegetables and fruits, dried fruits, nuts.

Holy Saturday April 18 (for 2020) before the appearance of the first star is also considered a time of strict fasting, then dry eating is recommended. On this day, it is customary to bless Easter food in churches.

How to eat healthy during Holy Week?

As the monks say, during Lent the laity should not exhaust themselves with hunger, but should refrain from overeating. The Lenten menu can be designed so that it includes dishes that are familiar to you, but without ingredients of animal origin.

After all, nutrition during Holy Week is not the main thing, and the main meaning of fasting is not dietary restrictions.

The point is repentance and spiritual renewal, and abstinence in food only contributes to this. Believers should first of all strive for spiritual purification by doing good deeds and spending time in prayer.

Holy Saturday is considered the last day of fasting, and on the following Resurrection of Christ there are no longer any restrictions on food. The fast observed by believers ends at midnight on the eve of the holiday, from the moment the priests symbolically open the doors of the temple.

The last, seventh week of Great Lent - Passionate, Holy, Great - includes six days; it begins on Monday and ends on the Saturday preceding Easter Sunday. All days of Holy Week are called Great. And the whole week is Passion Week: the week when Christ was betrayed, condemned, elevated to Golgotha, crucified and resurrected.

Since Easter will be celebrated on April 28 in 2019, Holy Week falls on April 22-27.
Holy Week marks the seven strictest days of the year. Eat right, in accordance with the recommendations of the church, to cure many diseases and cleanse your soul of sins.

The last week before Easter is the most difficult and strict compared to other days. This period is very important for Orthodox people, because we remember the last days of Jesus’ life on earth and his suffering. It is advisable to spend Holy Week in prayers that will help you better understand yourself.

During Holy Week, every person is spiritually cleansed. And this depends not only on abstinence in food, but also on the renunciation of all evil intentions. At this time, you cannot instill cruelty in your heart, commit evil deeds and utter poisonous words. These are the same sins as gluttony, eating meat and drinking alcohol.

Good to know! What to eat on Palm Sunday: On this day you are allowed to eat fish, hot food, with vegetable oil and wine. Then the Great Days begin.

Holy Week: Proper diet for the week

• Monday: the most difficult day of Holy Week.

In addition to the fact that you can only eat food once in 24 hours, it must be eaten raw. Therefore, for most of us it is difficult and unusual. Righteous people who firmly believe in God try to give up food altogether on this day.

For beginners, it is permissible to include flour products in the Monday diet, in particular bread and vegetables. They can be consumed in any form: dried, fried and pickled.

This day is also characterized by the use of fruits and mushrooms. You can drink unlimited quantities of water, cool compotes and fruit drinks. It is important to know that you can only eat in the evening.

• Tuesday: On Tuesday you can eat whatever you cook.

However, remember that during Lent we exclude sweets, flour, meat, fish, dairy and eggs from our usual diet. It is permissible to eat vegetables and fruits on Tuesday, but only in limited quantities. You should eat food, as on Monday, in the evening and only once a day.

• Wednesday: on this day people remember Judas, who betrayed Christ.

You should visit church and repent of your sins. It is known that this is the best time to cleanse your soul. Dry food is served at the table, it is advisable to refuse food altogether, so that nothing interferes with cleansing the body and thoughts on this day.

• Thursday: easier than previous days because from now on you can eat two meals a day.

Hot food, which was previously prohibited, and vegetable oil appear in the daily diet. Active preparations for Easter begin: people bake Easter cakes, paint eggs, prepare treats for the festive table.

Thursday is characterized by various rituals to expel evil spirits and evil from the house. One of them is that when cleaning your home you need to throw a handful of small items into a basin of water. This will attract prosperity and wealth in the future.

Water on Maundy Thursday has magical powers, so you can bless your apartment and, after washing, rid yourself of illnesses for the whole year.

• Friday: is a time of mourning for Orthodox people.

It was on the fifth day of the week that Jesus Christ was crucified. On Good Friday it is forbidden to eat any food, the exception applies only to infants and infirm people. Any household chores should be postponed. By doing anything on this day, you show your disrespect for God. It is necessary to gain strength and try to endure this day, honoring Christ, who gave his life for our sins.

• Saturday: There is only one day left until the holy holiday.

On Saturday you can eat the same as on Thursday. The daily diet includes dishes such as: honey, bread, dry and raw fruits, vegetables. All day until the next morning, people must bless the food they put on the table. The church allows you to bring any food that you consider necessary to celebrate Easter.

Before the end of the evening, you must prepare all the treats, since Easter services take place at night. This day is also parents' Saturday.

• Sunday: bright day of Great Easter.

You can only eat what you have blessed, if this is not done, then in the morning they still consecrate their food in the Temple, hurry up. Eggs, lard, cheese, sausage and Easter cakes must be present on the table. You must taste these foods first, and then taste the rest of the treats.

On Sunday, everyone should rejoice and celebrate the resurrection of the Son of God. On Easter, you need to visit the church for communion, and also learn about the traditions and folk signs of this Orthodox holiday.

Holy Week is very important for people: these days many people come to rethink their lives. During this time, a person is spiritually cleansed and greets Easter with pure and bright thoughts. It is imperative to keep all the commandments, pray and not denigrate yourself with sinful deeds and thoughts. It is known that if you repent on the Bright Resurrection of Christ with a pure heart and firm faith, then God will definitely forgive you for everything.

Holy Week (before Easter): what not to do

Monday. On this day, a lot of tidying begins. The house is cleared of old, bulky things.

Tuesday. Groceries are being purchased for Easter. Women prepare medicinal infusions. Men should not even touch herbs, tinctures, powders.

Wednesday. This is the day of washing and all sorts of wiping. On Wednesday, it is advisable to thoroughly wash, scrub the floors, and beat out the carpets.
On Wednesday of Holy Week, a special ritual against any bodily illness was remembered. It was necessary to scoop up water with a mug from a well or from a barrel on the street, or draw water from a river. After crossing ourselves three times, we covered the mug with a clean or new towel, and at 2 a.m., after crossing ourselves three times again, we doused ourselves with this water, leaving a little in the mug. Afterwards, clothes were put on the wet body without drying, and the water that remained in the mug was poured onto a bush or flowers for up to 3 hours. They say that a body washed in this way is reborn.

On Maundy Thursday it was advised to cut the hair of a one-year-old child for the first time (cutting it before one was considered a sin), and for girls to cut the ends of their braids so that they would grow longer and thicker. All livestock were also advised to have their hair clipped for health and well-being.

On this day, Thursday salt is prepared: it is heated in a frying pan, and the salt acquires medicinal properties. It is advisable to consecrate this salt in the Temple.

Maundy Thursday is traditionally called “clean”, and not only because on this day every Orthodox person strives to cleanse himself spiritually, take communion, and accept the sacrament established by Christ. On Maundy Thursday, the folk custom of cleansing with water was widespread - swimming in an ice hole, river, lake, or dousing in a bathhouse before sunrise.

There are many traditions associated with this day. On Maundy Thursday they cleaned the houses, washed and cleaned everything. It was customary to collect and burn juniper branches to fumigate homes and stables. It is believed that healing juniper smoke protects humans and animals from evil spirits and diseases.

1. There was also a belief that eggs laid on Holy Thursday and eaten on Easter protected against illness, and the shells of eggs buried in the ground in a pasture reliably protected livestock from the evil eye.
2. Starting from Maundy Thursday, they prepared for the festive table, painted and painted eggs. According to ancient tradition, colored eggs were placed on freshly sprouted oats and wheat.
3. On Thursday morning they began baking Easter cakes, babas, small products made from wheat flour with images of crosses, lambs, doves, larks, as well as honey gingerbread. In the evening they prepared Easter.
4. On Maundy Thursday, you should count your money three times so that you can keep the money throughout the year.
5. Everyone in the family should take a handful of salt and pour it into one bag. This salt is removed and stored, and it is called “Thursday salt,” i.e. Maundy Thursday. You can use it to treat yourself, as well as your family and friends. This salt is used to make amulets for the family, livestock, garden, home, etc.
6. On Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, it was customary to wash all domestic animals with water melted from snow - from cows to chickens - and burn the salt in the oven, which, according to popular beliefs, acquired healing properties from this.
7. In some villages, at midnight on Maundy Thursday, women were also ordered to douse themselves with water to protect themselves from illness.
8. If you wash your face before dawn on Maundy (Clean) Thursday, you need to say: “I wash away what they put on me, that with which my soul and body toil, everything is removed on Clean Thursday.”
9. On Easter morning they wash themselves with water left over from Maundy Thursday. It’s good to put a silver thing or a spoon in it, or maybe a coin. Wash for beauty and wealth.

If a girl cannot get married, she needs to give the towel with which she dried herself on Maundy Thursday to people on Easter, to those who ask for alms, along with dyes and Easter cake. After this, they soon get married.

There was also a custom of burning crosses on doors and ceilings with a candle to protect the house from the invasion of evil spirits.

Passion candles were given to seriously ill people or those suffering from difficult childbirth; they have healing powers. From Maundy Thursday it was forbidden to sweep the floor in the house until Easter.

Friday. Cooking is a big deal on this day, all housewives on this day. We continued to bake and prepare for Easter. “Angels help,” say pious people.

On Friday they will sweep the corners with a rag; this rag will help get rid of lower back pain if you tie it around yourself. The same rag is used to wipe your feet in the bathhouse after washing so that your feet don’t hurt. Ash taken on the Friday before Easter will help cure alcoholism, black shaking, the evil eye and mortal melancholy.

Saturday. The last (quiet) tidy. You can also paint eggs. On this day, common holiday dishes are prepared. On Saturday they brought colored eggs, Easter cakes, Easter cakes and other items to church to be blessed. And before going to the service on Easter night, they left a treat on the table so that later they could break their fast. True, they ate little by little - only symbolically, after which they went to bed. But late on Sunday morning the real feast began, which lasted all week.

Of course, all preparatory work: cooking, painting eggs must be completed before Easter.

The Church Charter prescribes the following rules:

• in the first and last (Holy Week) weeks - especially strict fasting;
• Meat products - products of animal origin - are completely prohibited;
• on weekdays they eat once a day, in the evening; on Saturdays and Sundays twice - at lunchtime and in the evening;
• on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - cold food without oil;
• on Tuesdays and Thursdays - hot food without oil;
• on Saturdays and Sundays you can consume vegetable oil and, if desired, a little grape wine (except Saturday of Holy Week);
• On Holy Saturday, many believers also do not eat until Easter.

Holy Week: customs and signs

Holy Week is characterized by its own signs and customs, which always tend to come true. Here are a few of them:
On Wednesday, they collected the remnants of snow from the ravines in order to add last year's Thursday salt to the melt water and sprinkle the livestock. This is a sure protection for living creatures from damage and the evil eye.

On the night from Saturday to Sunday, the day when Orthodox Easter begins, we tried not to sleep. For girls, such wakefulness promised marriage, for guys - success in work, and for older people - health.

Very effective and effective in the last week of Lent were conspiracies to get rid of drunkenness, depression and poor health, from envious people and enemies, as well as from health problems. The purpose of Holy Week, which crowns the Great Pre-Easter Lent, is to complete the stage of spiritual and physical cleansing of a person.

This is a period that is associated not only with restrictions on food intake, but also with giving up smoking and other bad habits. Holy Week gives every believer the opportunity to rethink his life and take the righteous path that Jesus Christ walked for thirty-three years.

Holy Week 2019: Orthodox calendar

Holy Week is the last week before Easter. In the Orthodox Church, this is the most important week of the entire year, dedicated to the last days of Christ’s earthly life, His suffering, crucifixion, death on the cross, and burial.

Holy Week is no longer Lent, although fasting on these days is observed especially strictly.

In the first three days of Holy Week, the Church prepares believers for heartfelt participation in the Savior’s suffering on the Cross.

Lent is one of the main events in the life of every Orthodox Christian. The period of fasting begins after the celebration of Maslenitsa. Fasting is associated both with limiting oneself in food and, to a greater extent, with deep spiritual thoughts, prayers, and cleansing one’s soul from the burden of accumulated sins.

The tradition of following the requirements of Lent was established in memory of Christ and his forty days spent in the desert. This is where the second name of the fast came from - “Forty Days”.

The most difficult days in this period are Clean Monday, which follows Maslenitsa and is the first day of abstinence from food and entertainment, as well as Good Friday. During these two days, it is important to completely abstain from food. Due to the fact that Lent is an ancient tradition, the church has established and clearly defined rules for eating literally for each day. Despite many restrictions, the proposed diet is balanced and contains all the necessary vitamins and microelements that give a person physical strength.

Lent involves eating fruit and vegetable dishes, dried fruits, cereals, canned food, legumes and nut products, sweets, and on certain days - fish and seafood, and vegetable oils. You need to completely abstain from meat, milk, any food with its components, eggs, alcohol. Sweets should also be completely avoided. The only sweet product that you can sometimes treat yourself to is honey.

The last seven days of Lent are called Holy Week. This time is set aside so that people remember the terrible final days of Christ’s life on earth among people, his suffering endured in the name of atonement for the sins of all mankind. When it starts in 2016, we will find out in.

The time of Holy Week should be spent in repentance and reading prayers. It is worth giving up both certain foods, entertainment and entertainment, and bad habits. It is important during this period to realize all your sins, sincerely repent of them, and cleanse your soul.

The Orthodox faith teaches Christians that despondency or angry feelings during Holy Week are considered as sinful as, for example, eating meat and wine. The last days of Lent are given to a person to understand the meaning of the entire time of abstinence. Therefore, it is logical that the remaining week before the Easter holiday is considered the strictest.

Many Orthodox Christians, especially at the beginning of their churching, ask the question: Holy Week, what can you eat on a daily basis?

During the last seven days of Lent, you are allowed to eat:
- bread;
- vegetables and fruits in fresh, dried, dried or any other form;
- mushrooms.

It is forbidden to cook food, i.e. boil or fry it. Instead of thermally processed foods, you need to eat raw vegetables and fruits. At the same time, dishes prepared from them must be without the addition of vegetable oil. Drinks also have their own restrictions: only teas and some infusions are allowed. Of course, alcohol is completely prohibited. During Holy Week, one evening meal is allowed.

Of course, any body, even with excellent health, needs to allow a little indulgence. Orthodoxy provides for a number of exceptions in the second half of Holy Week: starting from Thursday inclusive, Christians are allowed to eat hot vegetable foods prepared without adding oil. During this period, two meals a day are provided, including a small amount of red wine to maintain the strength of the body.

But such exceptions will need to be reserved for Good Friday, which involves complete abstinence from food. According to the Holy Scriptures, Christ was crucified on this day. Therefore, Good Friday is a difficult day not only physically due to the complete refusal of food, but also spiritually, when a true Christian deeply experiences this tragic and terrible event.

On Saturday of Holy Week some relaxations are allowed, so you can again return to eating hot plant foods, prepared without adding oil.

Briefly, the menu for Holy Week of Lent is as follows:

1. Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, honey, dried fruits), products are not heat treated or seasoned with oil.
2. Tuesday, Thursday - plant foods, thermally processed, without oil.
3. Saturday, Sunday - vegetable food, thermally processed, with oil.

On all days of Holy Week, it is forbidden to visit entertainment establishments; you must attend church services, confess, and perform Communion. Time spent at home should be reserved for prayer and spiritual reflection. An Orthodox Christian thus prepares himself to celebrate the bright holiday of Easter through physical and spiritual cleansing.

From Thursday inclusive, you need to start general cleaning of your home and baking Easter cakes. All preparations need to be completed on Saturday, and already on Sunday we will celebrate the Great Holiday - Easter.