The Nativity Fast

The Nativity fast begins on November 15/28, and lasts forty days. The Nativity fast is not as strict as Great Lent or the Dormition fast, and can be compared to the Apostle’s fast. It was instituted by the Church so that we would worthily greet the feast of the Nativity of Christ after having cleansed our hearts by prayer and repentance.

11/28/2022

Bodily Fasting for the Soul’s Benefit

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Rating: 8.8|Votes: 19

Bodily Fasting for the Soul’s Benefit

In the words of St. Simeon of Thessalonica, “The forty days of the Nativity fast is an image of the fast of Moses, who having fasted for forty days and forty nights, received the words of God inscribed on stone tablets. But having fasted for forty days, we gaze upon and receive the living Word from the Virgin, inscribed not on stones, but incarnate and born, and we partake of His Divine flesh.”

A Homily for Those Rejoicing in the Nativity Fast

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov

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Rating: 4.4|Votes: 8

A Homily for Those Rejoicing in the Nativity Fast

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov

Thus, casting aside and leaving behind all wavering and doubt, trustingly give me your hand, dear reader; and guided invisibly by the holy fathers, we shall step into the sacred world of Gospel Revelation, hidden from the wearying din of vain activity around us…

The Nativity Fast: A Time of Preparation

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Rating: 7.7|Votes: 7

The Nativity Fast: A Time of Preparation

The Fast of the Nativity is the Church's wise solace and aid to human infirmity. We are a forgetful people, but our forgetfulness is not unknown to God; and our hearts with all their misconceptions and weakened understandings are not unfamiliar to the Holy Spirit who guides and sustains this Church. We who fall far from God through the magnitude of our sin, are called nonetheless to be close to Him. We who run afar off are called to return.

Nativity Fast

Father Rostislav Sheniloff

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Rating: 8.4|Votes: 10

Nativity Fast

Father Rostislav Sheniloff

We have now gone through almost three weeks of the Nativity Lent, my dear friends. This fast, beginning on November 28th, lasts for six weeks - almost as long as the Great Lent. However, the Nativity Lent has a different and entirely unique character.

Why We Fast

Fr. Stephen Freeman

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Rating: 7|Votes: 4

Why We Fast

Fr. Stephen Freeman

The following article offers some thoughts on the purpose of fasting.

A Special Time To Work On Yourself

An Interview with Archpriest Alexei Kruglik

Dmitri Dementiev

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Rating: 10|Votes: 6

A Special Time To Work On Yourself

An Interview with Archpriest Alexei Kruglik

Dmitri Dementiev

The fast is a special time when a person ought to work on himself more. And not everyone, of course, is equal to this intensified work, and therefore—perhaps not right off—but sooner or later some kinds of trials begin.

The Orthodox Nativity Fast Can Help Prevent Post-Holiday Blues

Lis DeLuca

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Rating: 9.6|Votes: 11

The Orthodox Nativity Fast Can Help Prevent Post-Holiday Blues

Lis DeLuca

Much of the post-holiday blues that occur in the United States may have something to do with the way Americans celebrate Christmas. The Orthodox Nativity fast May be the remedy many people need.

During the Nativity Fast

Archpriest Victor Potapov

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Rating: 9.9|Votes: 8

During the Nativity Fast

Archpriest Victor Potapov

Why did we imagine that without Him, without communing of Him, we could live and accomplish anything? Why did we imagine that without communing of Christ, we could rid ourselves of our sins, of our sorrows and disappointments, of our despondency, our coarseness and despair? Why did we imagine that we could obey His commandment and love one another without communing of His Body, which is also His Church?

“We have many fast days, and that is our Church’s strength”

Archpriest Alexander Saltykov, Nicholai Bulchuk

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Rating: 9.1|Votes: 15

“We have many fast days, and that is our Church’s strength”

Archpriest Alexander Saltykov, Nicholai Bulchuk

Why is fasting necessary? For several reasons. The most obvious (and I think the most understandable) reason consists in the fact that a person simply needs to have inner discipline. And in this sense, fasting is a disciplinary measure. We cannot simply live according to the principle of “I want”: I want this, I want that.

The Days Before the Nativity of Christ: Whom Do We Await?

Fr. Andrei Kanev

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Rating: 9.7|Votes: 10

The Days Before the Nativity of Christ: Whom Do We Await?

Fr. Andrei Kanev

We have said that some celebrate Christmas without Christ, but sometimes Christians identify Christmas just with the Lord’s birthday. So what do we await on this feast: the appearance of God into the world, so as to endlessly feed 5,000 people? No—His appearance so as to go to the Cross, for us and for the possibility of our salvation.

Between New Year and Christmas

A mother’s notes

Anna Satrykina

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Rating: 9.4|Votes: 14

Between New Year and Christmas

A mother’s notes

Anna Satrykina

And now very soon, today, it’s Christmas! We lie down to sleep to rest before the night service. We read together the “children’s” prayers before Communion, and put the little ones to bed. They quietly fall asleep, while the parents continue their prayers aloud by candlelight, reading the canon for the Nativity. The adults also get to rest—after all, the work has all been done.

Christ Is Born, Glorify Him!

Archpriest Victor Potapov

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Rating: 6|Votes: 4

Christ Is Born, Glorify Him!

Archpriest Victor Potapov

The Holy Gospel reveals a Truth of which many are not aware. In order to be good, one must be with the Source of Good. In order to be strong, one must be with the Source of Strength. In order to be spiritually powerful, one must be with the Source of Spiritual Power. In order to be spiritually beautiful, one must be with the source of Beauty.

On Fasting Again

Archpriest Oleg Stenyayev

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Rating: 9.5|Votes: 17

On Fasting Again

Archpriest Oleg Stenyayev

To those on the new style calendar who are celebrating the Nativity of Christ, we wish all a joyous feast. Please keep this delightful article on fasting in mind for Wednesdays and Fridays, and the other three extended fast periods. But for those who are still observing the Nativity fast, may these instructions encourage you during this final stretch.

The Nativity Fast and Christmas Parties

Fr. John Whiteford

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Rating: 10|Votes: 3

The Nativity Fast and Christmas Parties

Fr. John Whiteford

Fr. John Whiteford talks about how Orthodox Christians can do when they are under obligation to participate in secular celebrations during the Nativity Fast.

St. Paisius (Velichkovsky) on Fasting

St. Paisius (Velichkovsky)

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Rating: 6.1|Votes: 14

St. Paisius (Velichkovsky) on Fasting

St. Paisius (Velichkovsky)

Today, the day of his commemoration, is also the first day of the Nativity fast. We would like to begin this time of blessed preparation with a short instruction from St. Paisius on fasting in the monastic, Orthodox tradition, from his work, “Field Flowers”.

A Guide to Those Keeping the Fast

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

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A Guide to Those Keeping the Fast

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

Fasting is not about restriction and lack of freedom, as many perceive it, but about the ample opportunity to get to know the Truth and the freedom that stems from this knowledge.

Fasting As a Sacrifice to God

Priests’ answers

Natalia Ryazantseva

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Fasting As a Sacrifice to God

Priests’ answers

Natalia Ryazantseva

Our fasting must become a sacrifice to God. But what lies behind these words?

Forty Tasks for the Nativity Fast: From Our Family Experience

Anastasia Andreyeva

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Forty Tasks for the Nativity Fast: From Our Family Experience

Anastasia Andreyeva

I formulated (again, based on the New Testament verses or on Patristic instructions) forty specific tasks, arranging them by the days of the fast. Each task included one or another spiritual and moral exercise.

What Is the Proper Way to Spend the Last Week Before Christmas: Admonition for New Year Celebrations

Priest Daniel Ryabinin

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What Is the Proper Way to Spend the Last Week Before Christmas: Admonition for New Year Celebrations

Priest Daniel Ryabinin

The last week before the feast of the Nativity of Christ is the most important time for us. A mere seven days, but how much we can do then for the feast to become a true celebration of joy, faith and love!

Preparing for the Nativity With Children

Igor Tikhonovsky

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Preparing for the Nativity With Children

Igor Tikhonovsky

Our attitude should be this: In order to be with the Lord on this feast we should walk along this path together with Him.

The Nativity Fast Frees the Space of Our Souls for God

Archpriest George Zavershinsky

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The Nativity Fast Frees the Space of Our Souls for God

Archpriest George Zavershinsky

The Christian’s temperance during the Nativity Fast and the meeting of one of the greatest Christian feasts are closely interrelated.

To Walk in All Seriousness Toward the Lord of All

Anastasia Andreyeva

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To Walk in All Seriousness Toward the Lord of All

Anastasia Andreyeva

This means that now is the optimal time to gather our thoughts, to think ahead as we set out on our journey, what we must bring with us, what we can’t do without on the way and without which we are not likely to reach our goal.

Why the Nativity Fast Is the Way to the Cave. Where We Will See the Living Infant Christ?

Archpriest Andrei Chizhenko

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Why the Nativity Fast Is the Way to the Cave. Where We Will See the Living Infant Christ?

Archpriest Andrei Chizhenko

What matters first of all is the vector, the direction of the movement of your life towards the radiant feast of the Nativity of Christ.

Our Advent Path to Christmas

Marina Shmeleva

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Our Advent Path to Christmas

Marina Shmeleva

Bodily fasting is the means, whereas the spiritual sobriety and fervent prayer are the goals, with mercy being the fruit of the Lenten sojourn.

How to Avoid Making Fasting a Formality

Priest Alexei Taakh

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How to Avoid Making Fasting a Formality

Priest Alexei Taakh

You and I are children of God, although we voluntarily call ourselves His slaves, emphasizing that we faithfully serve our Heavenly Father with the love of children.

The Fast Before the Nativity of Christ

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The Fast Before the Nativity of Christ

The Nativity fast was established so that we would prepare ourselves for day of Christ’s Nativity, purifying ourselves by repentance, prayer, and fasting, so that with a pure heart, soul, and body we might reverently greet the Son of God Who has appeared to the world.

Prepare Our Hearts for the Coming of the Lord

A Word for the Beginning of the Nativity Fast

Archpriest Alexander Shargunov

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Prepare Our Hearts for the Coming of the Lord

A Word for the Beginning of the Nativity Fast

Archpriest Alexander Shargunov

For a believer, being awake isn’t just not sleeping in the physical sense, but to fight in general against what lulls a man to sleep, preventing him from seeing what leads him to death.

The Asceticism of Fasting: The Meaning and Importance of the Nativity Fast

Igumen Nektary (Morozov)

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The Asceticism of Fasting: The Meaning and Importance of the Nativity Fast

Igumen Nektary (Morozov)

A time of self-restraint and a time of prayer, a time of temptations and a time of joys: All of these relate to fasting—a special period in the life of every Orthodox Christian.

The Rule of Fasting in the Orthodox Church

Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose)

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Rating: 4.5|Votes: 32

The Rule of Fasting in the Orthodox Church

Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose)

This rule of fasting, to be sure, is not intended to be a "straight-jacket" for Orthodox believers, nor a source of pharisaical pride for anyone who keeps the letter of the Church's law. It is rather the rule, the standard, against which each is to measure his own practice, and towards which one must always strive, according to one's strength and circumstances.

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