Orthodox Fasting Calendar December 2026

Fasting seasons and fast days this month

New Calendar

Nativity Fast: December 1–24
The Twelve Days of Christmas: December 25–31

Old Calendar

Nativity Fast: December 1–31

Great feasts

The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple — December 4 (Old Calendar)
The Nativity of Christ — December 25 (New Calendar)

Day by day

Daily fasting rule, December 2026
Date	New Calendar	Old Calendar	Feast or commemoration
Dec 1Tue	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Prophet Nahum
Dec 2Wed	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	Prophet Habakkuk
Dec 3Thu	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Prophet Zephaniah
Dec 4Fri	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple (Old)
Dec 5Sat	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	St. Sabbas the Sanctified
Dec 6Sun	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia
Dec 7Mon	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
Dec 8Tue	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	St. Patapius of Thebes
Dec 9Wed	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos
Dec 10Thu	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes and Eugraphus
Dec 11Fri	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	St. Daniel the Stylite
Dec 12Sat	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	St. Spyridon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Trimythous
Dec 13Sun	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius and companions
Dec 14Mon	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius and companions
Dec 15Tue	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Hieromartyr Eleutherius
Dec 16Wed	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	Prophet Haggai
Dec 17Thu	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Prophet Daniel and the Three Holy Youths
Dec 18Fri	Strict fastNativity Fast — final days	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	Martyr Sebastian of Rome and companions
Dec 19Sat	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast — final days	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Martyr Boniface of Tarsus
Dec 20Sun	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast — final days	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer of Antioch
Dec 21Mon	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast — final days	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Virgin-martyr Juliana of Nicomedia
Dec 22Tue	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast — final days	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Great Martyr Anastasia, Deliverer from Potions
Dec 23Wed	Strict fastNativity Fast — final days	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	The Ten Martyrs of Crete
Dec 24Thu	Strict fastEve of the Nativity	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Eve of the Nativity (Paramony)
Dec 25Fri	Fast-freeThe Twelve Days of Christmas	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	The Nativity of Christ (New)
Dec 26Sat	Fast-freeThe Twelve Days of Christmas	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos
Dec 27Sun	Fast-freeThe Twelve Days of Christmas	Fish permittedNativity Fast	Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen
Dec 28Mon	Fast-freeThe Twelve Days of Christmas	Fish permittedNativity Fast	The 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia
Dec 29Tue	Fast-freeThe Twelve Days of Christmas	Fish permittedNativity Fast	The Holy Innocents of Bethlehem
Dec 30Wed	Fast-freeThe Twelve Days of Christmas	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast	Virgin-martyr Anysia of Thessalonica
Dec 31Thu	Fast-freeThe Twelve Days of Christmas	Wine & oil permittedNativity Fast — final days	Leavetaking of the Nativity

Strict fastNo meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil — vegetables, grains and fruit. Simplicity as prayer.Wine & oil permittedWine and olive oil are permitted today. No meat, dairy, eggs or fish.Fish permittedFish is allowed today, with wine, oil, shellfish and all foods of the earth. No meat, dairy or eggs.Cheesefare — dairy permittedNo meat this week, but dairy, eggs and fish are welcome every day — even Wednesday and Friday.Fast-freeA fast-free period: the Church is feasting. All foods with gratitude.No fast todayAn ordinary day — eat with thanksgiving.

Follow your parish

These are the general fasting rules of the Orthodox Church, computed for both calendars. Local custom, age, health, pregnancy and your priest’s guidance come first — when in doubt, ask your priest.

Old and New Calendar

New Calendar (Revised Julian) churches — most Greek, Antiochian, OCA, Romanian and Bulgarian parishes — keep fixed feasts on the civil date. Old Calendar (Julian) churches — Russian, Serbian, Georgian and others — keep them 13 days later on the civil calendar. Pascha and the feasts that depend on it fall on the same day for both.