The Great Lent before Easter lasts for Orthodox Christians for seven weeks, it is dedicated to spiritual purification and unity with God.

Lent is the main period of abstinence in Christianity. Believers should not eat fast food, and they should also give up bad habits and various kinds of entertainment. But this is not the main goal.

A long walk is a preparation for Easter. A person should celebrate the main holiday having cleansed himself. First of all, spiritually. Therefore, the main emphasis in the lenten period should be on the purity of thoughts and deeds. Some saints called fasting a time for prayer and reflection on God. And gastronomic restrictions are only an auxiliary element.
In 2024, Lent will last from March 18 to May 4.

Great Lent is the oldest of all the multi-day fasts, which exists in both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The first mention of the 40-day fast dates back to the III century.
At the same time, a six-day fast was established in some churches in memory of the events of Holy Week. Some believers considered this rule very strict and continued to fast in the old way - only from Friday to Sunday.

By the end of the century, Bishop Dionysius the Great of Alexandria raised the question at the general church level that all believers fast in different ways: someone does not eat at all for six days and, weakened, faints, while someone does not observe abstinence for a day or eats excessively, and in the last two days strictly fasting.

As a result, at the beginning of the fifth century, many churches finally established a single rule for the flock — to fast for 40 days before Easter. Since that time, the duration of Lent has varied from six to eight weeks. In addition, it was unclear how to count Saturdays and Sundays — the days when fasting is canceled.
As a result, we came to a consensus: observe Lent for 48 calendar days so that this period takes up a "tithe", that is, a tenth of the year.

Since the IV-V centuries, Lent has been considered obligatory for every Christian. In the old days, a believer who did not observe abstinence from food during this period could even be excommunicated from the church for a while.

Many people associate fasting primarily with food restrictions, but this is not the case. The church has repeatedly stressed that the current statute does not require such strict food restrictions from anyone.

The main purpose of fasting is to change your life for the better: to change your feelings, because the spiritual nature of a person is inextricably linked to the physical, and the state of the body affects the state of the soul.

Thus, the result of fasting should be a profound change in human thoughts: in his attitude to others, worldview and perception of values, in understanding what is eternal in the world and what is secondary.

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The dates of the beginning and end of Lent change every year. According to Orthodox canons, it begins exactly seven weeks before Easter and lasts 48 days — until the Saturday preceding the Resurrection of Christ. In 2024, Lent will begin on March 18 and end on May 4. This period is divided into:
Holy Lenten Week (five weeks and five days);
Lazarev Saturday;
The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday);
Holy Week, or week (lasts six days, Easter comes on the seventh).
In fact, Lent does not last 40 days, as many people used to think, but 48 days, since Holy Week is also added to Holy Lent (the last week before Easter, not counting the Brightest Sunday).

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The Orthodox Lent consists of seven weeks, each of which is filled with a special spiritual meaning.
Believers believe that during Lent it is important to follow a number of rules that are designed to help purify not only physically, but also spiritually.

• Pray harder and more thoughtfully. During the fasting period, more attention should be paid to this practice. You need to be more attentive at services, read the Holy Scriptures, and try not to miss morning and evening prayers.
• Visit the temple. In the church, it is easier to abstract from the surrounding bustle and spend time alone with yourself, focus on prayers and good thoughts. Many services during Lent are held in the evenings, which allows you to attend them even after work.
• Remember the importance of repentance.
• First of all, follow your own thoughts and actions. Do not compare yourself with others, do not envy, do not brag about fasting, do not teach or condemn.
• Try to do as many good deeds as possible. Take time for your loved ones, sincerely help the poor, lonely and needy. It is important to say more pleasant words — not out of need, but from the bottom of your heart.

In Lent, the church charter calls for the abandonment of food of animal origin (meat, eggs, dairy products), on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, dry eating (fruits, vegetables, bread, compotes and water) is prescribed, on Tuesday and Thursday you can eat hot food without butter, and on Saturday and Sunday — hot food with vegetable oil.
Fish is allowed only on the days of the twentieth holidays. But these are the rules for monks. Lay people can fast less strictly, guided by the characteristics of their body and material conditions. They are allowed to eat with vegetable oil on weekdays of fasting, eat fish and seafood.