Fasting seasons and fast days this month
New Calendar
- The Twelve Days of Christmas: January 1–4
- Eve of Theophany: January 5
- Theophany: January 6
Old Calendar
- Nativity Fast: January 1–6
- The Twelve Days of Christmas: January 7–17
- Eve of Theophany: January 18
- Theophany: January 19
Great feasts
- Holy Theophany — the Baptism of the Lord — January 6 (New Calendar)
- The Nativity of Christ — January 7 (Old Calendar)
- Holy Theophany — the Baptism of the Lord — January 19 (Old Calendar)
Day by day
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.