| Related sites for http://www.vegsource.com/lenten.htm |
| San_Antonio_Commandery_No__7 History, officers, bylaws and links. | | Men_Stopping_Rape Information on projects and the organization of men in Madison, Wisconsin working to end sexual assault. | | Tinsel_Town_Squares Club information, gallery, and links are included. Located in Los Angeles, California. | | Trosper_Tree Trosper family history including photographs, documents and forum. | | Annie\'s_Christmas_Page Remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Lots of different pages - Wisemen page, Kids page and a Gingerbread page to name a few. | | Psychic_Source Past life, free and various other types of readings available. | | Religious_Movement_Resource_Center Information and counseling on destructive cults and hate groups. | | The_Gnosis_Archive A vast collection of materials dealing with Gnosis and Gnosticism, both ancient and modern, as well as sections on Hermeticism, Jungian psychology, and other related topics. The site including the G | | Action_for_Integration_and_Tolerance Voluntary organization based in London, UK. Responds and advances African and ethnic minority communities' welfare, rights and development needs through information provision, support, advice and capa | | Today_In_Alternate_History Blog that features important events in history that never occurred today. Created by Robbie Taylor of College Station, Texas. | | Brooks,_Kelly Includes biography, philosophy and performance schedule. | | Chicken_Koop Letters, printed in The American Spectator, exchanged between Gregg L. Cunningham of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform and former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop in the days following President C | | Iowa_Grand_Commandery State Headquarters of Masonic Knights Templar. | | Intercollegiate_Diamond_Way_Buddhist_Network University groups that are part of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism, under the direction of Lama Ole Nydhal. Contains teachings, listing of centers, and links to other Diamond Way sites. | | Cates,_Mike__The_Eternal_Purpose Lewisville, Texas. Topical sermons. [Requires IE] | | Bikes_for_the_World A Washington Area Bicyclist Association project to collect unwanted bicycles and deliver them to community development programs assisting the poor in developing countries or in the Washington DC metro | | The_Development_of_Hermes_Trismegistus Extensive article on the historical aspects of Hermes. | | Anarcho-syndicalism_101 Devoted to aiding and furthering an autonomous global movement of working class solidarity and direct action, based around the ideas and principles of anarcho-syndicalism. Articles and forum. | | Oasis_Magazine Writing community for queer and questioning youth comprised of online diaries, essays, poetry and artwork. | | Radio_4_Houston Information on the ongoing struggle for accountability and against censorship in the Pacifica Network of radio stations. Information about events involving KPFT. |
|
Lenten Recipes
![]() 
Member: Eastern Christian Link Swap
VegSource®
Orthodox
Fasting Practice
Greetings, all, from D.J. King, your resident
Cybergeek here at VegSource, as well as a member of St. Michael
the Archangel Orthodox Church (click here
to visit St. Michael's).
Our Winter Lenten season is approaching, and we at
VegSource are hosting a special page of recipes for our Orthodox
friends.
Friday, November 15, marks the first day of the
Orthodox Church's "Winter" or "Little" Lent,
also know as the "Nativity Fast." In the west, this
special time is known as Advent. In Orthodoxy, the "Little
Lent" is considered a 'long, relaxed fast', meaning that it
is neither as strict as Great Lent, nor does it have the
liturgical support of Great Lent. Fasting, by the way, does not
mean we eat no food whatsoever, but that we try to lessen or
limit our regular daily caloric intake and restrict the foods
that we eat.
The reasons behind fasting are several.
First and foremost, it is a self-imposed
discipline. We do it in order to learn how to say
"no" to our impulses. You can think of it like
the training done by an athlete.
Second, fasting is consciously intended to lower
our energy level. The less energy we have, the less
energy we have to "sin." (I put that in quotes
because in Orthodoxy we have a very dynamic concept of
"sin." It doesn’t mean the same thing it
means to most people.)
Third, the lower energy level makes it much
easier to pray.
Fourth, we want to remember the poor, and the
experience of fasting helps do this. (In fact, we are to
use the money we save as "alms"-- not to be
given through and to institutions, but to be given
personally to disadvantaged persons.)
The Orthodox
fasting seasons are as follows:
(All dates are New Julian Calendar)
Little
Lent (Nativity Fast)
(Long and Relaxed)
Nov. 15 - Dec. 24
Meatfare
(Short and very Relaxed)
Variable- 2 weeks before Great Lent
March 2 this coming year.
Great
Lent
(Long and Strict)
Variable- Begins 47 days before Pascha
March 9 this coming year...
and lasts for 40 days.
Holy
Week
(Short and VERY Strict)
Really a continuation of the Lenten ascetical
fast...
but stricter...
and with radically differnt liturgical support.
April 21-26 this coming year.
SS.
Peter and Paul fast
(Short and Relaxed)
Variable - All Saints Sunday through
June 29...
Depending on the date of Pascha (Easter) this fast can
last from
3 days to 4 weeks.
This coming year, the SS. Peter and Paul fast begins on
June 23, and lasts 6 days.
Dormition
Fast
(Short and Strict)
Aug. 1 - Aug 14.
All
Wednesdays and Fridays throughout
the year are also fast days (with the exception of during
the week following Pascha, the 12 days after Christmas,
the week between Pentecost Sunday and All Saints, and the
week beginning the 2nd Sunday
before Meatfare).
The variable fasts all vary based upon the date of
Easter, which is almost never celebrated on the same date as it
is in the West. The calculation is that Pascha (Easter) falls on
the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal
equinox after the Jewish Passover. This last requirement is why
Orthodox Pascha varies from western Easter; it can cause Pascha
to fall from one to four weeks after western Easter. (The West
used to calculate Easter using the same formula, but has dropped
this part of the calculation.)
"Strict Orthodox fasting" consists of: no
meat, no wine or other alcohol, no (olive) oil, no dairy,
(technically, little or no spices,) about 1 ˝ normal meals per
day (plus, in many places, no TV, radio, music, movies, parties,
entertainment, etc.) Interestingly, under the strict fast,
shellfish and octopus are allowed. (Why? Beats me, but I suspect
that it's an artifact of the original occupation -- fisherman --
of most of the Apostols. In any case, this has been the case
since at least as early as about 150 AD.)
"Relaxed Orthodox fasting" is like strict
fasting, except that on some days (generally, 'holidays') either
wine, or wine and oil, or fish, wine and oil are allowed...
though almost never on Wednesday or Friday. Did you get that?
The above is generally the rule, and in most
monasteries the rule is followed pretty strictly. In regular
parish practice, though, the rule is often pastorally modified to
meet the specific spiritual need of each person. For example, I
know of an individual who, on a Friday in Great Lent, was ordered
by his priest to go get a six-pack and drink it. This is
generally considered a big no-no, but if your priest orders it,
you do it. (I can attest to the wisdom of the priest’s order
in this instance -- I was the individual!)
The main point is that fasting in parish practice is a
pastoral matter; it should always be done in consultation with
one's pastor or spiritual father.
The monastic rule is generally held up as the ideal
that folk should (and in practice usually do) strive towards. The
rule gets pastorally modified based upon the circumstances.
Your pastor is going to become pretty upset if
you’re making a 3 hour daily commute in heavy traffic in a
seriously hypoglycemic state. In fact, he’s not going to let
you do it no matter what the season or day of week. It’s
your pastor’s job to figure out when you’re ready to
move forward (or backward) in your fasting. Go beyond his
recommendations, and you can end up in pretty serious problems,
physically and spiritually. (Take it from one who learned the
hard way, and got royally chewed out, to boot.)
In the cold winters in Russian villages, in rural
Greece and Palestine, it was far easier for people to observe a
strict fast than it is for 20th Century American people who live
very fast paced active lives.
There are some 'universal' circumstances where fasting
is prohibited. These include pregnant or nursing mothers, small
children (below the age of anywhere from three to five -- another
pastoral decision), the aged, and the sick. In fact, each of
these conditions is considered a 'God imposed' ascesis.
These are just a few points relating to Orthodox
fasting. (The book that describes the ideal, as well as
information on other Orthodox matters, is 1400 pages of very
small print. Someday it may even be accurately translated into
English from the original Greek and Slovanic.)
Below are categories of foods that are appropriate for
fasting seasons. These recipes have been prepared by Kira Sampson
at VegSource. Click on the category to go to a list of dishes for
each. If you have specific recipe questions, or are seeking
specific kinds of recipes, please feel free to post your question
on the VegSource
Recipe Board.
Bon appetit.
Salads
Salad
Dressings
Main Dishes
Sauces &
Gravies
Side Dishes
Soups
Desserts
Snacks
Back to VegSource Holiday Recipes
_uacct = "UA-2983695-1";
urchinTracker();
|
|
