Lent 2025: what foods are allowed and which ones are best to avoid.
Believers of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) are actively preparing for Easter, adhering to the 40-day Great Lent.
In 2025, Great Lent will commence on March 3 and last until April 19, reports UNN.
Lent holds significant spiritual meaning in Christianity. Dietary restrictions promote spiritual purification and inner growth. It is a time for prayer, repentance, and strengthening faith. Abstaining from certain foods symbolizes a reduction in dependence on the material and helps focus on spiritual goals.
Dietary Restrictions During Great Lent
The most stringent restrictions pertain to animal products. During Lent, the consumption of the following is prohibited:
- Meat and meat products: all types of meat (beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, game), as well as sausages, hot dogs, and meat delicacies. Lard and animal fats are also forbidden.
- Dairy products: all kinds of milk (cow, goat, etc.), cheeses, fermented dairy products, sour cream, cream, butter, and ice cream.
- Eggs: all eggs, including chicken, quail, and goose eggs, as well as dishes made with them.
- Fish: although fish is considered a fasting food, its consumption is allowed only on specific days - Annunciation (April 7) and Palm Sunday (April 13). Caviar is permitted on Lazarus Saturday (April 12).
- Alcohol: strong alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Moderate amounts of red wine are allowed on festive occasions.
Permitted Foods During Great Lent
- Vegetables: the foundation of the fasting diet, including fresh (cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage) and cooked (potatoes, beets, carrots). Stewed, baked, and fried vegetables are allowed on designated days.
- Fruits and berries: fresh fruits (apples, pears, citrus) and berries, as well as frozen and dried fruits, are permitted.
- Grains and legumes: various cereals (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal), egg-free pasta, unleavened bread, and legumes (peas, beans, lentils).
- Mushrooms: fresh, dried, and pickled mushrooms may be included in the diet.
- Nuts and seeds: consume in moderation.
- Beverages: water, herbal teas, unsweetened compotes, and freshly squeezed juices.
Food Traditions During Great Lent
1st Week of Great Lent (March 3 - March 9)
- Monday, March 3 (Clean Monday): Dry eating. Complete abstinence from cooked food and oil. Only bread, water, salt, raw fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, and nuts are allowed. It is preferable to abstain from food until the evening.
- Tuesday, March 4: Dry eating. Similar to Clean Monday.
- Wednesday, March 5: Dry eating.
- Thursday, March 6: Dry eating.
- Friday, March 7: Dry eating.
- Saturday, March 8: Hot food with vegetable oil. Cooked plant-based foods (cereals, soups, stews, mushrooms, vegetable ragout, fasting borscht) with the addition of vegetable oil are allowed. Wine is permissible (in moderation).
- Sunday, March 9 (Triumph of Orthodoxy): Hot food with oil. Similar to Saturday.
Orthodox calendar for 2025: dates of major holidays31.12.24, 19:30 • 254841 views
2nd Week of Great Lent (March 10 - March 16)
- Monday, March 10: Dry eating.
- Tuesday, March 11: Hot food without oil. Cooked plant-based foods (cereals, soups, stews, mushrooms) without oil are allowed.
- Wednesday, March 12: Dry eating.
- Thursday, March 13: Hot food without oil.
- Friday, March 14: Dry eating.
- Saturday, March 15: Hot food with oil. Wine is allowed (in moderation).
- Sunday, March 16 (St. Gregory Palamas): Hot food with oil. Similar to Saturday.
3rd Week of Great Lent (March 17 - March 23)
- Monday, March 17: Dry eating.
- Tuesday, March 18: Hot food without oil.
- Wednesday, March 19: Dry eating.
- Thursday, March 20: Hot food without oil.
- Friday, March 21: Dry eating.
- Saturday, March 22: Hot food with oil. Wine is allowed (in moderation).
- Sunday, March 23 (Veneration of the Cross): Hot food with oil. Similar to Saturday.
4th Week of Great Lent (March 24 - March 30)
- Monday, March 24: Dry eating.
- Tuesday, March 25: Hot food without oil.
- Wednesday, March 26: Dry eating.
- Thursday, March 27: Hot food without oil.
- Friday, March 28: Dry eating.
- Saturday, March 29 (St. John Climacus): Hot food with oil. Wine is allowed (in moderation).
- Sunday, March 30 (St. John Climacus): Hot food with oil. Similar to Saturday.
5th Week of Great Lent (March 31 - April 6)
- Monday, March 31: Dry eating.
- Tuesday, April 1: Hot food without oil.
- Wednesday, April 2: Dry eating.
- Thursday, April 3: Hot food without oil.
- Friday, April 4 (Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos (Akathist Saturday)): Hot food without oil. Usually, oil is allowed on Akathist Saturday, but since this is the 5th Friday of Great Lent, dry eating is observed.
- Saturday, April 5 (Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos (Akathist Saturday)): Hot food with oil. Wine is allowed (in moderation).
- Sunday, April 6 (St. Mary of Egypt): Hot food with oil. Similar to Saturday.
6th Week of Great Lent (April 7 - April 13)
- Monday, April 7: Hot food without oil. Usually, on Annunciation, the fast is relaxed for fish, but if Annunciation falls on a Monday, hot food without oil is allowed, and fish is permitted on Annunciation.
- Tuesday, April 8: Hot food without oil.
- Wednesday, April 9: Dry eating.
- Thursday, April 10: Hot food without oil.
- Friday, April 11: Dry eating.
- Saturday, April 12 (Lazarus Saturday): Hot food with vegetable oil. Fish caviar is allowed. Wine is permitted (in moderation). Fish is not allowed, only caviar.
- Sunday, April 13 (Palm Sunday - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem): Fish (baked, soup, fish pies, etc.). Hot food with oil and wine (in moderation) is allowed.
Holy Week (April 14 - April 19) - the strictest fast
- Monday, April 14 (Great Monday): Dry eating.
- Tuesday, April 15 (Great Tuesday): Dry eating.
- Wednesday, April 16 (Great Wednesday): Dry eating.
- Thursday, April 17 (Great Thursday - Clean Thursday): Hot food with oil. Wine is allowed (in moderation).
- Friday, April 18 (Great Friday - Passion Friday): Complete abstinence from food (or dry eating for the weak). For those who cannot fully abstain from food, dry eating is permitted. It is preferable to abstain from food until the procession of the Shroud (usually after Vespers).
- Saturday, April 19 (Great Saturday): Dry eating.