Great Lent is a special time for many believers, when they prepare their bodies and souls for the most important Orthodox holiday — Easter, a meeting with the risen Savior. During this period, believers give up a number of foods and limit themselves to entertainment, devoting more time to prayer, communion and spiritual life. The dates of Great Lent change annually depending on when Easter is. In 2025, Lent begins on March 3 and ends on April 19, and Easter will come on April 20. For more information about what you can and can't eat during Lent, see the Izvestia article.
Lent – 2025: what date, how long does it last
Orthodox Christians observe several fasts during the calendar year.: Rozhdestvensky, Veliky, Petrov and Uspensky. Great Lent is the longest in existence and is held before the main Christian holiday, Easter. The post can be divided into two parts. The first six weeks are called Holy Lent in memory of how Jesus Christ himself fasted for 40 days in the desert before beginning his preaching. They end on Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday. The last and strictest week of lent is Holy Week.
Each week has its own religious meaning, name and traditions. For example, in the first week, which is called the Celebration of Orthodoxy, the longest services are performed. In the second week, which is dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas, they pray for the blessed illumination of those who fast and repent. The third week is called the crucifixion week, because at this time a cross is brought out for worship in the temple. In the sixth week, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is celebrated, and during the seventh, Holy Week, they remember the last days of the earthly life and the death of Jesus Christ.
Great Lent appeared at the dawn of the Christian faith, but its duration has varied over the centuries. If in the early years Christians fasted only on Easter day, then in the third century it was 40 days, and two centuries later it was six weeks.
The dates of the beginning of Great Lent change annually, as does the day of Easter, which Orthodox Christians celebrate on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, following the day of the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox always falls on March 21st. And the date of the full moon depends on the phase of the moon, which is why the holiday is transitional. In the Orthodox tradition, fasting begins on the Monday after Forgiven Sunday, the last day of Maslenitsa, and ends seven weeks later, on the Saturday before Easter. Thus, its duration is 48 days. In 2025, Lent will last from March 3 to April 19.
Which foods can't be eaten during Lent, and which ones can
Great Lent is considered the strictest of the existing fasts, introducing the greatest number of restrictions for believers. The purpose of fasting is to repent and prepare for the feast of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. It is based only on voluntary conscious self—restraint for the sake of the liberation of spiritual forces. Fasting involves not only abstinence from food, but also abstinence from entertainment.
At the same time, the priests urge to observe moderation and not to go to extremes, separating the monastic rule and worldly life, in which one can not strictly adhere to prohibitions.
"Religious life — not only Christian — cannot be imagined without feasible asceticism. Because through some sacrifice and overcoming, spiritual life and the personality itself are built," explains Archpriest Maxim Pervozvansky, a well—known church publicist. However, everything is decided individually: what to eat and how to spend your leisure time. "The main thing is to understand that any abstinence and any attempt to seriously influence one's own human nature is a double—edged sword that can bring both benefit and harm," the clergyman emphasizes.
Among the foods that are acceptable to eat during Lent:
— bakery products without milk and eggs:
— cereals and legumes;
— mushrooms, nuts and herbs;
— vegetables, fruits, berries and dried fruits;
— pickles, marinades;
— compotes, jelly and honey.
There are different rules on each day of Lent. So, in monasteries, on Clean Monday, March 3, they abstain from food and drink only water. Fish and seafood are allowed to be eaten only twice during the entire fast: on April 7, on the Annunciation, and on April 13, on Palm Sunday. On Lazarev's Saturday, April 12, you can serve fish caviar to the table. On other days, you can eat hot food with or without butter, and on some days, dry eating is acceptable.
For the entire duration of the fast, it is recommended to exclude meat and sausage products, as well as eggs and dairy products. At the same time, children, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly, as well as sick people whose health will be negatively affected by food withdrawal are exempt from strict adherence to the rules. Two more categories that are subject to fasting breaks are warriors and those engaged in heavy physical labor.
The priests remind that those who, for good reasons, do not observe restrictions, can fast, limiting themselves to taste excesses: sweets, delicacies and other delicacies.
Lent - 2025: nutrition calendar by day
There are certain restrictions for each day of Lent, which should be adhered to whenever possible.
Week 1 of Great Lent (March 3-9)
March3 (Monday): complete abstinence from food.
March 4 (Tuesday): hot food without oil.
March 5th (Wednesday): dry-eating (raw vegetables, fruits, nuts).
March 6 (Thursday): hot food without oil.
March 7th (Friday): dry-eating.
March 8-9 (weekend): hot food with vegetable oil, such as vegetable soup or porridge.
Week 2 of Great Lent (March 10-16)
March 10 (Monday): dry-eating.
March 11th (Tuesday): hot food without oil, for example, buckwheat porridge on water, stewed vegetables.
March 12th (Wednesday): dry-eating.
March 13 (Thursday): hot food without oil.
March 14th (Friday): dry-eating.March 15-16 (weekend): vegetable hot food with butter, for example, baked pumpkin with herbs.
Week 3 of Great Lent (March 17-23)
March 17 (Monday): dry-eating.
March 18 (Tuesday): hot food without oil.
March 19th (Wednesday): dry-eating.
March 20th (Thursday): hot food without oil.
March 21st (Friday): dry-eating.
March 22-23 (weekend): vegetable hot food with butter.
Week 4 of Great Lent (March 24-30)
March 24 (Monday): dry-eating.
March 25 (Tuesday): hot food without oil.
March 26 (Wednesday): dry-eating.
March 27 (Thursday): hot food without oil.
March 28 (Friday): dry-eating.March 29-30 (weekend): vegetable hot food with butter.
Week 5 of Great Lent (March 31 — April 6)
March 31 (Monday): dry-eating.
April 1st (Tuesday): hot food without oil.
April 2 (Wednesday): dry-eating.
April 3 (Thursday): hot food without oil.
April 4 (Friday): dry-eating.April 5-6 (weekend): vegetable hot food with butter.
Week 6 of Great Lent (April 7-13)
April 7 (Monday): hot food with butter, fish and some wine are allowed in honor of the feast of the Annunciation.
April 8th (Tuesday): hot food without oil.
April 9th (Wednesday): dry-eating.
April 10th (Thursday): hot food without oil.
April 11th (Friday): dry-eating.April 12-13 (weekend): on Saturday, April 12, in honor of Lazarev's day, hot food with butter and fish caviar is allowed; on April 13, Palm Sunday, hot food with butter and fish.
Week 7 of Great Lent, Holy Week (April 14-19)
April 14 (Monday): dry-eating.
April 15th (Tuesday): hot food without oil.
April 16 (Wednesday): dry-eating.
April 17th (Thursday): hot food without oil.
April 18 (Friday): complete abstinence from food.
April 19th (Saturday): hot food without oil.
The spiritual meaning of abstinence and what not to do in Lent 2025
Lent is called Great because of its spiritual significance and overall duration. As Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia explained, fasting is not an end in itself, but an opportunity to "come out of spiritual hibernation", strengthen faith and change your life for the better.
The primate called spiritual sleep the inability of a person to control himself, the inability to see his mistakes and sins. As the patriarch noted, fasting is necessary in order to take control of one's affairs and thoughts, to reevaluate and rethink what hinders one's life and "remorse one's conscience," to repent of it and receive God's forgiveness.
The last week of Lent (Passion Week) is considered the strictest, it is dedicated to the last sufferings of Christ's earthly life and his death.:
— Holy Thursday is dedicated to the Last Supper, during the service parishioners stand with lighted candles, which are later used to light household lamps;
— on Holy Thursday, the house is cleaned, cakes are prepared and Easter eggs;
— on Good Friday, the shroud is taken out of the church and the burial of Christ is performed;
— on Holy Saturday, Easter products are consecrated in churches: cakes, eggs and cottage cheese Easter;
On Sunday, the main Christian holiday is celebrated — Easter, in memory of the resurrection of Christ to eternal life after the crucifixion on Calvary.
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