Orthodox Fasting Calendar

Keep the fast the Church keeps.

The Eastern Orthodox fasting calendar is older than every disagreement about it. Every Wednesday and Friday, the four great fasts, and a handful of single-day fasts shape the Christian year — not as deprivation, but as the Church's appointed school of prayer.

Today's Calendar Full Fasting Guide

The Four Great Fasts

  • Great Lent — the 40-day fast before Pascha, the most ancient and strict.
  • Apostles' Fast — from the Monday after All Saints to 28 June.
  • Dormition Fast — 1–14 August, in honour of the Theotokos.
  • Nativity Fast — 15 November to 24 December, preparing for the Incarnation.

Weekly & single-day fasts

Every Wednesday (the betrayal) and Friday (the Crucifixion) outside fast-free weeks. Strict fasts on the Beheading of St John the Baptist (29 Aug) and the Exaltation of the Cross (14 Sept). Eves of Theophany and Nativity are kept strictly.

A rule of love, not punishment

Fasting in the Orthodox Church is always paired with prayer and almsgiving. The strictness is adjusted for the sick, pregnant, travelling and young — under the blessing of a priest. OneTrueFaith shows you each day's status alongside the readings and the saint of the day, so the fast stays connected to the Church's living rhythm.