Orthodox Fasting Calendar March 2026

Fasting seasons and fast days this month

New Calendar

Great Lent: March 1–31

Old Calendar

Great Lent: March 1–31

Great feasts

The Annunciation of the Theotokos — March 25 (New Calendar)

Day by day

Daily fasting rule, March 2026
Date	New Calendar	Old Calendar	Feast or commemoration
Mar 1Sun	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Martyr Eudocia of Heliopolis
Mar 2Mon	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Hieromartyr Theodotus of Cyrenia
Mar 3Tue	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus
Mar 4Wed	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	St. Gerasimus of the Jordan
Mar 5Thu	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Martyr Conon of Isauria
Mar 6Fri	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	The Forty-two Martyrs of Amorium
Mar 7Sat	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Hieromartyrs of Cherson
Mar 8Sun	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	St. Theophylact of Nicomedia
Mar 9Mon	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
Mar 10Tue	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Martyr Quadratus of Corinth
Mar 11Wed	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Mar 12Thu	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	St. Theophanes the Confessor
Mar 13Fri	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Translation of the Relics of St. Nicephorus of Constantinople
Mar 14Sat	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	St. Benedict of Nursia
Mar 15Sun	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Martyr Agapius and companions
Mar 16Mon	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Martyr Sabinus of Egypt
Mar 17Tue	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	St. Alexis the Man of God
Mar 18Wed	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	St. Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem
Mar 19Thu	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria
Mar 20Fri	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Holy Fathers slain at the Monastery of St. Sabbas
Mar 21Sat	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	St. James the Confessor
Mar 22Sun	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra
Mar 23Mon	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Monk-martyr Nicon and his 199 disciples
Mar 24Tue	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Forefeast of the Annunciation
Mar 25Wed	Fish permittedGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	The Annunciation of the Theotokos (New)
Mar 26Thu	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel
Mar 27Fri	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica
Mar 28Sat	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	St. Hilarion the New
Mar 29Sun	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	Wine & oil permittedGreat Lent	St. Mark of Arethusa
Mar 30Mon	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	St. John Climacus, author of the Ladder
Mar 31Tue	Strict fastGreat Lent	Strict fastGreat Lent	St. Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra

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.