March Issue
Eleni Dimitropoulou
March
This year, Orthodox Lent and Western Easter coincide almost exactly with the Islamic Ramadan and Jewish Passover. This gives us the exceptional opportunity to highlight the similarities and differences, but most importantly, to understand how members of diverse religious groups experience this special pious period.
The term “Fasting” can indicate either an abstinence from specific categories of food, or even from all foods for specific hours of the day. Interwoven with the worship of all major religions, fasting is observed in each for different reasons: as a practical sign of reverence; as a means of purification; as an expression of faith, moderation, restraint, self-control; as an exercise of humility and self-punishment; and even as an expression of mourning. However, in all cases, fasting leads to spiritual upliftment. This habit began long before the advent of Abrahamic religions.
The first references to the practice of fasting come from the Far East. In the Hindu Law of Manu (Manus ti /Manava Dharmasastra), written in Sanskrit and dating from between 1250 and 1000 BC, we find the first commandments related to abstinence from food. Although no relevant sacred text or code of commandments has ever been found in Egypt, it is known that the Egyptians fasted on the feasts of Isis and almost all of their religious and social festivals. Connected with the worship of all major religions and philosophical currents, voluntary abstinence from food is observed in each for different health reasons. In particular, priests were subjected to abstinence from seven days to six weeks, which was determined by the goddess Ma'at, who was the personification of absolute truth and defined the ethical and moral codes that every Egyptian had to obey in their life.
The diet of the ancient Greeks, until the fourth century BC, was particularly austere, and the Athenians fasted only during the festivals of the Eleusinian and Thesmophorian festivals. Those who participated in the mysteries necessarily abstained from food and drink, for purification and expiation, to ensure the favor of the gods during initiation. However, from the literature of the period, we can assume that fasting had been more closely associated with mourning, as is at least evident from a line in Aristophanes' Clouds:
“And often, while we gods are observing a fast, when we mourn for Memnon or Sarpedon, you are pouring libations and laughing.”
In the three monotheistic, Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), fasting is an important—sometimes necessary—stage for the psychophysical preparation of the believer. It is based on similar trials of biblical figures. It is characteristic that Moses fasted for 40 days before climbing to the top of Mount Sinai to receive, according to religious tradition, the Covenant of the 10 Commandments from God. Fasting gave him the courage and mental strength to "face" the Creator, while in the case of Samson, it was the real secret of his strength. After a 24-hour fast, Daniel "survived" the lions' den; while Jesus Christ, before starting his teachings, withdrew to the desert, where he spent 40 days fasting and praying.
More specifically, in the one of three most popular doctrines of Christiniaty in the Orthodox Church, fasting occurs on designated days throughout the year, totaling approximately 180 to 200 days. More specifically, fast is held during the following days :
Great Lent from Clean Monday, the first day of the 48 days throughout which believers are called to leave behind all sinful habits, including savory, non-fasting foods, thus cleansing the soul and body until Easter,
40 days before Christmas, from November 15 to December 25,
Of the Holy Apostles, that is, after All Saints' Sunday (which falls 56 days after Easter) until June 29, when the memory of the Apostles Peter and Paul is celebrated,
Of the Fifteenth of August, to be precise, from August 1 to the 15 of the same month (the birth of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ),
On August 29, commemorating the beheading of John the Baptist.
On September 14, the day we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
On the eve of Epiphany, that is, January 5.
Every Wednesday and Friday.
In Christian Orthodoxy, fasting does not only mean eliminating certain foods from our diet, such as meat, eggs, milk, cheese, fish and oil. It also means learning to control the amount of foodeaten. It is an exercise, a physical and spiritual effort to restrain oneself from eating, and most importantly, to watch over behavior (anger, lies, bad words, etc). Saint John Chrysostom says: “Show me your fasting by your works… for what is the benefit, if we do not eat meat, but devour our brothers?”
Lent for Western Christianity begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, before the celebration of the Last Supper. Westerners celebrate the Resurrection of Christ on Holy Saturday evening and Easter Sunday. The fasts of the Catholic Church are more relaxed than those of the Orthodox Church, since they essentially prohibit only meat and distinguish between fasting (jeûne) and days of abstinence from meat and fat (jours maigres/d’abstinence), that is, all Fridays during Lent (Carême). For it, followers reduce their number of meals—they eat one main meal and two smaller ones within 24 hours.
For their part, Protestants have generally abolished food fasting, which they do not include in their life of worship. They consider fasting to be completely optional, and the faithful apply it by their own choice—usually in the form of complete abstinence from food—only in exceptional cases.
In Judaism, fasting is called “ta’anit” or "tsom” (humiliation) and is a period of voluntary deprivation of food and drink, including water, but also any pleasure and is observed for reasons of public repentance, mourning and purification. Ta’anit is observed on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, a day dedicated to repentance, prayer and invocation of the greatness of God. It involves a 25-hour fast accompanied by prayers for forgiveness. During the Day of Atonement, the Jewish community experiences a profound suspension of activity; the shops are closed, the streets are bare and mediums are silent while believers undergo a 25-hour fast and pray fervently for the forgiveness of their sins.
Also, the Tisha B'Av fast on the ninth of Av, the fifth month of the year, is the most tragic day of the Jewish calendar; a remembrance day and mourning of the destruction of both holy temples. Therefore, they fast a total of six fasting days per year, complying with kashrut. Kashrut, the Jewish dietary laws, divide food into 'clean' (including veal, sheep, goats, deer, and fish) and 'unclean' (including pork and seafood). These laws govern what is permissible to eat, similar to halal in Islam, and are separate from the concept of fasting.
To Muslims, too, fasting is more than mere abstinence from food; it is a form of submission to Allah. It is observed from sunrise to sunset during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar named Ramadan and is one of the holiest moments in Islam, commemorating the revelation of Allah, or Laylat al-Qadr or the Night of Decree. It is believed that in 610 AD, the Prophet Muhammad was visited by the Archangel Gabriel, who disclosed the Quran, the sacred book, to him during the month of Ramadan.
Islamic scholars instruct that fasting is the development of gratitude and compassion for the less fortunate. Charity and assistance to the poor are the hallmarks of this month, during which adherents usually pray more and read the Quran more. Fasting is considered by many as a cleansing and spiritual rejuvenation process. Fasting is among the five pillars of Islam. Iftar, the breaking of the fast, follows afterward. Often at iftar, people gather with loved ones. Suhur is the meal before sunrise.
In Hinduism, fasting is not obligatory, but a voluntary act of spiritual purification. Hindus also fast on certain festivals as part of their spiritual discipline. A quite popular fast in Hinduism is Ekadashi, which is on the eleventh day of each lunar cycle when the moon is decreasing in light.
There are, however, numerous other occasions when Hindus fast, including but not necessarily limited to Navratris, Janmashtami and Shivratri. Individuals may fast entirely, only partially or choose to forego their favorite foods for a specified period of time.
In Buddhism, fasting has been recognized as one of the methods of practicing self-control.
Fasting for Buddhists means vegetarianism and cutting off from the joys that food offers to man in order to mobilize the desire for taste. They abstain from meat twice a month, on the days of the new moon or full moon, or six times a month and more often. According to the Buddhist religion, children rarely fast. That is also relevant for Judaism and islam where children, elderly sick and women on their period are absolved from fasting.
As fasting for monks is a much more difficult practice,as it involves extended periods of fasting and stricter regulations (e.g. abstinence after midday) thus it is carried out under the guidance of a teacher. The four rules regarding food, according to the ascetic practice called “dhutanga” (rejuvenation), are: eating once a day, eating only one meal, reducing the amount of food and consuming only as much food as they received from the first seven houses they blessed. How does the latter translate? Buddhist monks go around villages and bless people and, in return, they accept the food that people throw into their bowls.
Sikhism is one of the few religions that does not require fasting as a meritocracy. This religion considers fasting inferior to "truth" and "right action," which, according to the founder of this religion, are superior.
Fasting is a significant aspect of Jainism. It is regarded as a method of purifying the body. It is also a method of eliminating bad karma. Fasting can last from one day to more than a month. People can do complete or partial fasting, or give up their favorite foods for a certain period of time.
Today, fasting has been mainly associated with abstinence from certain foods, such as meat, fish and animal products. Another important consideration to make however, is to question by what criteria were certain foods excluded. The high temperatures of the Middle East, the nomadic lifestyle, the lack or effects of certain foods, such as spices, the need to differentiate from previous religious practices were some of the environmental and social reasons that influenced the formation of fasts. At the same time, they can be perceived as an attempt to equalize rich and poor before God. It is worth noting that as religions spread, fasting adapted to the climatic conditions and dietary habits of the region. How different is the fasting followed in the Mediterranean from that of believers living in the low temperatures of frozen Lapland or insular Greenland, where meat is imposed, rather than excluded!
Fasting, nevertheless, has progressively been stripped of its theoretical background and religious meaning, and has been used as a weight loss tool and more. Nowadays several diets incorporate periods of fasting, such as the 5:2 diet, which limits the intake of "uncontrolled" calories to two days a week, considering it a healthy way to lose weight, or more recently the 16:8 diet or intermittent fasting, according to which for 16 hours (usually between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.) a complete fast is observed, from which water and calorie-free drinks are excluded, and for 8 hours any type of food is allowed, regardless of quantity.
I firmly believe that fasting, this struggle, the spiritual fight with ourselves, gives us the chance to test our limits, focus on the meaning, not on the materialistic dimension of life. It brings us together, regardless of our socio-economic background. The race is the same; we are equal, and that unites us as people. Fasting in different religions does not divide us. It just makes us realize how similar we are, how we have the same needs, temptations and desires. And that’s precisely what I realized when I came to Menton, a campus full of diversity—ethnically, culturally and religiously. At the core, we are all the same…
Photo source: Zoheir Seidanloo on Wikimedia commons