What can you eat in Philippov post. Advent is a special time for believers

I. Instructions on the Nativity Fast in the current Typicon

The Typicon, which is currently used in the Russian Orthodox Church, contains a number of instructions on how to observe the Advent fast. Let's consider them in more detail.

I. 1. A 40-day duration of fasting has been established:

It is necessary to know: as if tomorrow we begin fasting for the Nativity of Christ, the holy forty days.

: At the meal, the consolation of the brethren is great ... If the feast of the Nativity of Christ happens to be on Wednesday, or five: we allow the laity to eat meat, the monks to cheese and eggs ... From the Nativity of Christ and until the holy Theophany, there is no fasting, no knee-worshiping.

Thus, the Nativity Fast begins on November 15 (“we start tomorrow”) according to the Julian calendar (or “old style” (hereinafter “Old Style”); in the ΧΧ-XXI centuries according to the Gregorian calendar, or “new style” ( hereinafter “N.S.”), this date corresponds to November 28), and on December 25 (O.S.; in the ΧΧ-XXI centuries it is January 7, N.S.) it no longer exists, that is, it covers 16 days of November + 24 days of December (O.S.), or exactly 40 days.

I. 2. On some days of the week it is prescribed to fast more strictly than on others:

[Chapter 33, About the Resolution of the Whole Summer]: It is necessary to know: as in Lent ... Christmas of Christ, on Tuesday, and Thursday, we do not eat fish, but we drink oil and wine. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we eat neither food nor wine, but we fast until the ninth hour, and eat dry food on those days. On Saturdays and weeks, we eat fish.

[Chapter 48, Monthly calendar for the whole year: November 14, 1st "behold"]: We must keep this month in each week three days, fasting from oil and wine, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday are indicated as the most strict: it is supposed to eat only once a day, the food should be “dry eating”

From these instructions it follows that the strictest days of fasting should be Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On the days listed, it is supposed to eat food only once a day, and the food should be “dry food” (literally, “uncooked food”: bread, pickles, dried fruits), without vegetable oil and wine. Tuesday and Thursday occupy an intermediate position: vegetable oil and wine are allowed. On Saturday and Sunday, fasting is as relaxed as possible: you can eat not only vegetable oil, but also fish.

I. 3. Holidays are marked by a decrease in the severity of fasting:

[Chapter 48, Monthly calendar for the whole year: November 14, 1st "behold"]: If a great saint happens, then we allow the memory, and we create for the love of the holy feast for his sake, if this month is 16, 25, 30 December 4, 5, 6, 9, 17, 20 days. On those days, even on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we eat fish. On Monday, on Wednesday and on Friday, we allow tochi for oil and wine, but we do not eat fish, except for the temple. If there is a temple for one from now in the monastery, we are allowed to fish and wine. The introduction of the Mother of God on any day will happen, and even on Wednesday, or on five we are allowed to fish.

Here the Typicon lays down the following rules for fasting on feast days:

A) on the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, fasting is weakened as much as possible - regardless of the day of the week, the charter of Saturdays and Sundays is observed (fish is allowed);

B) on the feasts of revered saints: St. Apostle Matthew (16.11 old style / 29.11 new style), Hieromartyr Clement of Rome (25.11 old style / 8.12 new style; on the same day there is a celebration of the feast of the Introduction), St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30/12 New Style), Great Martyr Barbara (December 4/17/12 New Style), Saint Savva the Sanctified (St. 5.12/18.12 New Style), St. Nicholas of Myra (6.12 old style / 19.12 new style), the feast of the conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by the righteous Anna (9.12 old style / 22.12 new style), Sts. Prophet Daniel and the youths of Babylon (December 17/December 30), Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer (December 20/December 2/2/01), if they fall on Tuesday or Thursday, fish is allowed, and if on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - vegetable oil and wine;

IN) the same holidays as in the previous paragraph, if they are celebrated in the monastery as patronal ones (“is there a temple to one from these in the monastery”), in relation to the relaxation of fasting, they are equated with the feast of the Introduction (fish is allowed on any day).

I. 4. Advent is divided into two or three periods:

[Chapter 48, Monthly calendar for the whole year: November 14, 2nd "behold"]: Some charters from the 9th of Decembri command to fast, and they are not allowed to fish, except for Saturdays, and weeks, and the temple of the saint. From the 20th, even up to the 25th, if Saturday and a week happen, we are not allowed to fish.

In the first of these two phrases, one can see a hidden call, with reference to "certain statutes", to somewhat strengthen the fast after the feast of the conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Righteous Anna - namely, to completely stop eating fish on the days from Monday to Friday, regardless of the memory of revered saints (for with the exception of only patronal feasts).

The second phrase is often understood in the sense of observing strict fasting in the last five days before Christmas, from December 20 to 24 (O.S.; according to New Style - from January 2 to 6). However, the Slavic expression "from the 20th" here should be translated as "after the 20th", that is, excluding the 20th itself. This follows both from the previous phrase (where exactly the same expression is used: "from the 9th" - but the 9th is undoubtedly a holiday), and from the above-cited explicit indication about the weakening of the fast on December 20, in memory of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer.

I. 5. The last day of fasting - "Christmas Eve" - ​​has its own special rule of fasting:

[Chapter 48, Months for the whole year: December 25]: At the hour of the 7th day ... we begin Vespers ... But later ... we enter the meal, and eat the jam with oil, but we do not eat fish. We drink wine, thanking God.

[Ibid., 1st "see"]: If it happens on the eve of the Nativity of Christ on Saturday or a week ... the liturgy happens at its own time ... After the remission, we eat a piece of bread, and we taste little of the wine, and depart to our cells. At one o'clock on the 7th day, we begin the evening ... After the dismissal ... we enter the meal and eat completely: we do not eat fish, but with wood oil, and boiled juicy, or kutia with honey: we also drink wine for the glory of God: for the poor countries drinking beer.

A meal on Christmas Eve is allowed without fish, but with vegetable oil and wine (or, "in poor countries", beer), however, the severity of fasting should be at the late start of this meal: in the evening, at the end of the service, that is, at about 15-16 hours according to modern time. Until this time, it is necessary not to eat anything at all.

If Christmas Eve falls on Saturday or Sunday, then after the usual morning Liturgy, instead of dinner, it is only allowed to eat a slice of bread and drink a little wine and then wait until the evening for a full meal with traditional sochi.

I. 6. The indications of the Typicon are somewhat contradictory

The inconsistency of the Typicon's instructions regarding the Nativity fast is especially clearly manifested in the inconsistency of the rules described in the 48th chapter on weakening the fast on the days of the memory of the saints (see paragraph 3 above) with the similar rules in the 33rd chapter:

It is necessary to know: As if in fasting ... the Nativity of Christ ... If a saint happens on Tuesday, or on Thursday, having a doxology, we eat fish: If on Monday, like that. Even Wednesday and five, we are allowed to drink oil and wine: we eat in one day. If the saint has a vigil, on Wednesday, or five, we are allowed to have oil and wine and fish.

Here, a different approach, compared to Chapter 48, is proposed to determine the degree of celebration of the saints: instead of a list of specific dates, it is proposed to rely on the standard classification of the commemorations of the Menaion (“doxology”, “vigil” - cf. Ch. 47 of the Typicon), and already "Glorious" - that is, not even necessarily among the most revered - the saints acquire the right to make the day less fasting, and that degree of solemnity, which, according to the 48th chapter, befits only patronal feasts, here already belongs to all "vigilantes".

But even more important in the 33rd chapter is that she does not consider Monday as an emphatically fast day, equal to Wednesday and Friday, and places it on a par with Tuesday and Thursday.

In turn, chapter 48 itself, having drawn a contrast between Monday, Wednesday and Friday, on the one hand, and less strict Tuesday and Thursday, on the other, immediately equalizes all these days with each other in cases where instead of “God is the Lord "Alleluia" is sung in the morning:

[Chapter 48, Monthly calendar for the whole year: November 14, 3rd "behold"]: If it happens in one from the five days of the week, if there is from Monday to Friday ... When Allely happens on those days, we create a single day of eating: we will eat all the worship with bows, as if on the great forty days. We will sing the hours with the interhours, without the psalter and without reading, and we will sing the whole worship with bows, as if on the holy forty days: then we eat dry food in one day.

There is an alternative classification of days according to the degree of fasting - not “Monday, Wednesday, Friday” (= stricter fasting) / “Tuesday and Thursday” (= softer fasting), but “service with hallelujah" (= fasting stricter) / "service with God Lord» (= fasting softer).

Finally, the mention of “not their statutes” in the 2nd “see” of the same chapter of the Typicon looks somewhat ambiguous: it remains unsaid what the compilers of the statute themselves think about the practice of strengthening the fast after the feast of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by the righteous Anna? Do they encourage the reader to focus on this practice or simply inform about it?

I. 7. The indications of the Typicon refer to the monks:

Upon careful reading, there is no doubt that the prescriptions of the Typicon regarding the measure of fasting, the time and composition of the meal, etc. predominantly monastics. All discussions about fasting are related to the “brethren”, that is, the monks who permanently reside in the monastery. Descriptive designation of patronal feasts: “Ashche in the monastery[there is a temple of the same name", also indicates only the monastery. The Typicon mentions the laity only in his instructions about the complete abolition of fasting on the very day of the Nativity of Christ:

If the feast of the Nativity of Christ happens to be on Wednesday, or Friday: we allow the laity to eat meat ...

Thus, despite the detailed statute of the Nativity Fast in the Typikon now adopted in the Russian Church, in which there is a place for days of strict fasting and numerous relaxations of fasting discipline on various occasions, a careful reading of it raises several questions: how did this statute come about; whether it is possible to explain the contradictions contained in it; why the post has several stages; to what extent is its statute applicable to the conditions of life in the world? And also: how did they really fast in Rus' (since the food prescriptions of the Typicon are generally based on the traditions of Byzantium, located much south of Kyiv, and even more so of Moscow)?

II. The emergence and development of the Advent

According to I.D. Mansvetov, an outstanding Russian scientist, professor of homiletics, liturgy and church archeology at the Moscow Theological Academy († 1885), "the grain or starting point from which the Pre-Christmas fast degenerated was the eve of Theophany" . This assumption looks very plausible. Firstly, the Nativity of Christ and Theophany originally constituted a single holiday; secondly, the post on Epiphany Christmas Eve is really ancient, and it still exists. Without a doubt, the early Christian Easter fast, which consisted of abstaining from any food for a day or more, served as a model for this fast. With the division of Christmas and Epiphany into two independent holidays, Christmas retained the general structure of the Epiphany service and acquired its own Christmas Eve. Some time later, before this Christmas Eve, several days of preparatory fasting were established, just as before the early Christian one- (or two-) day Easter fast, the multi-day Great Fast arose already in the 4th century.

So, already St. John Chrysostom, in one of his words, uttered in Antioch in 386, testifies to the preparations for the Nativity of Christ, which began five days before the feast:

About the blessed Philogony ... It was said five days before the Nativity of Christ[= CPG #4319]: A feast is soon to come which is more worthy of reverence and reverence than all feasts, and which can unmistakably be called the fabric of all feasts. What is this holiday? The Nativity of Christ according to the flesh... I am sure that many on that day will certainly come and begin this spiritual Sacrifice. So, in order for us to do this not to harm and not to condemnation, but to the salvation of our souls, I already now warn and ask you to purify yourselves in every possible way and then proceed to the sacred Mysteries. Let no one tell me: I am ashamed, my conscience is full of sins, I bear the heaviest burden. The period of these five days is sufficient to cleanse many sins if you are sober, pray and watch.

In these words, they usually see an indication of the existence of a five-day fast before the Nativity of Christ already at the beginning of the 5th century. Most likely, this interpretation is quite correct; however, the saint still does not speak directly about abstinence from food. He only complains that his listeners “a few days before the holiday, they take out the best dress from the chests and put it in order, buy shoes, make the most abundant supplies for the table, come up with a lot of all sorts of preparations and dress up and adorn themselves in every possible way” , calling instead of all this to purify your soul and reconcile with the offenders.

Since the 5th century in the Latin West, customs have gradually developed related to the observance of Advent (lit. Advent) - the period of preparation for the celebration of Christmas, with special services, fasting (initially - on selective days, later the whole of Advent or only in its first week), introduced in the ΧΙ century a ban on marriages during this period.

The tradition of fasting forty, not five days before Christmas is clearly older than the 12th and even the 10th century

In the East, however, completely unambiguous evidence of the Nativity Fast refers only to the 9th-10th centuries. Information about the practices of Constantinople and Palestine is especially valuable, since they formed the basis of the subsequent Orthodox tradition. In Constantinople, fasting before the feast of the Nativity of Christ is mentioned in passing in the "Tomos of Unity", the famous council document of 920, dedicated to the problem of remarriage and included in the canon law of the Orthodox Church: "... the day of the Nativity of Christ and our God ... [as well as two other holidays : Easter and Dormition] ... preceded by fasting. Unfortunately, the mention is limited to this, the duration of the post is not specified. But in the Palestinian calendar of church holidays, preserved in the Sinait manuscript. geo. 34, X century, fasting before Christmas is prescribed to begin on October 30, which indicates its duration as much as 8 weeks; however, here this fast is only one of a number of similar 8-week fasts before other holidays (in fact, they embrace the whole year), which casts doubt on its implementation in practice.

However, there are texts that claim to be O greater antiquity than the "Tomos of Unity", and mentioning the Nativity Fast, is a collection of canons attributed to St. Nicephorus the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople († 828), as well as some texts inscribed with the name Anastasius of Sinai (this name was borne by two Patriarchs of Antioch VI and the beginnings VII century, respectively, as well as the abbot of the Sinai monastery of the VII century; all of them are glorified as saints, but the third of them is especially famous). However, the canons attributed to Saint Nicephorus the Confessor do not really belong to him and are signed in his name for the sake of persuasiveness; the core of the collection of these canons was formed only at the turn of the 10th-11th centuries and then was repeatedly supplemented. The fact that these canons are not authentic is indicated, firstly, by their great variability in manuscripts, and secondly, by the complete absence of references to them in the works of the main Byzantine experts in canon law: Alexius Aristinus, John Zonara and Theodore Balsamon.

Moreover, Theodore Balsamon (c. 1140 - † after 1199), at the end of his life nominally the Patriarch of Antioch (1193-1199; that in his time there were no ancient canons that mentioned the Nativity and Peter fasts, which, therefore, "were not transmitted canonically by the divine fathers" . In a commentary on the 69th Apostolic Canon, he says: “Notice from this Canon that in the strict sense of the word there is [only] one forty-day fast relating to Easter, because if there were others, the Canon would mention them too. However, although we fast [also] on other fasts related to [holidays]: the holy apostles, the Dormition [of] the Holy Mother of God and the Nativity of Christ, we will not be ashamed for this.

As for the references to the Nativity Fast in works bearing the name of Anastasius of Sinai, it turns out that they cannot be dated to the 6th or 7th centuries. One of these references is contained in the extended version of the original work of St. Anastasius - "Questions and Answers". In the original text, one of the question-correspondences is devoted to the topic of the post; in later manuscripts, it was significantly supplemented by numerous extracts from various sources, including references to the Old Testament and a statement about the need to observe a forty-day fast three times a year in fulfillment of the Old Testament commandment about the three main holidays. The Monk Nikon of Montenegro († after 1097) already knew about this statement, who quoted it in his work, at the same time expressing doubts that it belongs to the Monk Anastasius.

The statement “about the three holy forty days” was further developed in the work of the same name, attributed in some manuscripts to “Reverend Anastasius of Sinai”, and in others to “Patriarch Anastasius of Sinai”. This essay cannot belong to either one or the other: it mentions “seven Ecumenical Councils” (that is, it is definitely not older than the end of the 8th century) and contains a quotation from an expanded version of the Questions and Correspondences of St. Anastasius of Sinai (moreover, under the name of St. John Chrysostom!) and even, apparently, a hidden reference to the decrees of Patriarch Nicholas ΙΙΙ of Constantinople Grammar (he held the chair in 1084-1111); so prof. I.D. Mansvetov pointed out that this work is not older than the end of the ΧΙ century. The establishment of small fasts here is attributed directly to the apostles. In particular, the Nativity Fast in this work is presented as a fulfillment of the request of the Apostle Philip, who allegedly violated the commandment of God when, during his execution, he subjected the tormentors to a curse, which is why he was deprived of access to paradise for forty days, during which he asked to fast for him - all this, of course, is pure apocrypha.

Nevertheless, the work became widespread, as did the extended version of the question-and-answer of St. Anastasius of Sinai about the fasts. Theodore Balsamon is already relying on one of these two texts in his epistle to the inhabitants of Antioch. Here he develops the idea that Christian fasts are the fulfillment of the commandments of the Pentateuch - only instead of three he already speaks of five such fasts: before the holidays of Easter, the Apostles, the Transfiguration, the Assumption and the Nativity of Christ. The first of these fasts is a forty-day fast in the canonical sense of the word, and the rest, in his opinion, must be at least five days, but he notes that “in the reigning city [Constantinople], monastics and many of the laity living in this [city] ... before Christmas Christ and God observe a forty-day fast, ”and advises taking this practice as a model.

Theodore Balsamon: “It is obligatory to fast for five days; those who do not do this are excommunicated from the fellowship of Orthodox Christians"

Balsamon expresses the same idea in his other writings. So, in the commentary to the 3rd question of the Patriarch of Constantinople Nicholas the Grammar, he writes:

“I, having considered ... from where and how the two indicated fasts were established - namely [fasts before] the Dormition of the [Pre]holy Mother of God and the Nativity of Christ and our God, as well as the fast before the feast of the holy Apostles, and the fast before the Transfiguration - and whether we are obliged [from a canonical point of view] to observe them and for how many days, established that their [observance] is obligatory, but the duration [of these fasts] is not the same for everyone, as in the case of the Great Forty-cost. On the contrary, before these holidays, all [in general] the faithful - both laymen and monks - must fast for [only] five days, and those who do not do this are excommunicated from the fellowship of Orthodox Christians; monks who obey the Ktitor Typikons [of their monasteries] should fast longer, namely [start fasting immediately] after the [Week] of All Saints and after November 14, and [in everything] must strictly follow their Ktitor Typikons, for this is canonical and salutary . Well, the laity who voluntarily fast in the same [way] are worthy of gratitude.

And to the question of Patriarch Mark III of Alexandria: “Are the fasts [before] the feasts of the holy apostles, and the Nativity of Christ and the Assumption of the [Pre]holy Mother of God, and the [Transfiguration] of the Savior, or [their non-observance] is excusable and does not matter?” (question 55) Balsamon answers:

“It is necessary to observe fasts before the following four holidays: the holy apostles, the Nativity of Christ, the Transfiguration of Christ our God and the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, but only five days, for forty days [should be] only the only fast relating to the holy and great Pascha. But if someone fasts for more than five days before the feast of the holy apostles and the feast of the Nativity of Christ - either of their own free will or according to the prescription of the ktitor Typicons - they will not be ashamed for this ... Those who do not fast before each of these four holidays [at least within] the mandatory [number of days] for all, must be corrected through a great penance.

The "Ktitor Typikons" mentioned by Balsamon were the statutory documents of various Byzantine monasteries. In them, the Nativity fast had a duration of forty days already at least from the end of the 9th century. So, in the Studial Hypotyposis of the 2nd half of the 9th century, this post is called "Philippov" - in other words, it should begin immediately after November 14 and, thus, last exactly 40 days. However, not all days of this period were still considered completely fast. Under the "fast" days, the studio Hypotyposis understood not the entire period of the Nativity Fast, but only those days when the service of the hours was not cancelled; on the days of holidays, revered saints, Saturdays and Sundays, Ipotiposis allowed to eat not only fish, but also milk and eggs. Christmas Eve stood apart, when, according to the Studial Synaxarion, after Vespers and the Liturgy, fish was offered at the meal, without dairy (and if Christmas Eve fell on Saturday and Sunday, then on the morning of that day, after the usual Liturgy, an additional meal was also offered, consisting of sochiva, bread and wine).

In the later Typikons, there is a tendency to increase the severity of the Nativity fast. So, if in the original studio Hypotyposis, the fasting days of this period have two meals, with two dishes - from vegetables, with vegetable oil, and from legumes, without oil - and two cups of wine, then in its slightly later alteration, carried out in monasteries of southern Italy, only one meal is spoken of on such days. And in the Diatyposis of the Monk Athanasius of Athos, compiled at the end of the Χ century, which is also a reworking of the Studial Hypotyposis, a ban on eating vegetable oil and wine on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays is added to the prescription of one meal on fast days (compared to the Studial Hypotyposis, this is a different a classification of strictly fast days and less fast days, both can be found in subsequent statutes, cf. point Ι.6 above).

From the 2nd half of the ΧΙ century, a movement for the renewal and revival of monastic life gained strength in Byzantium, one of the main representatives of which was the Evergetides Monastery in Constantinople. In the Evergetid Typicons and dependent on it, the reservations about the possibility of eating dairy on the holidays of the Nativity Fast disappear completely, the eating of fish is limited to a narrow circle of holidays, from which Christmas Eve is excluded (and if Christmas Eve coincides with Saturday or Sunday, instead of sochi, it is proposed to eat only bread).

The Patriarchs of Constantinople, who supported the “Evergetid” (the name is largely arbitrary) movement, already considered it necessary to extend the forty-day fast to all Christians in general. Patriarch Michael ΙΙ Kurkuas (Okseit) wrote about this in his message to the tsar (he held the chair in 1143-1146), and Patriarch Luke Chrysoverg (he held the chair from 1156 to 1169), according to Theodore Balsamon, when discussing this issue, spoke as follows :

“[As soon as], as the most holy patriarch himself said, the duration of the [Assumption] fast and the fast that happens before the Nativity of Christ is not indicated in any written [source], we should adhere to the unwritten church tradition and observe the fast [before the Assumption] after August 1, and [before Christmas] - after November 14. If, however, bodily illnesses do not allow [anyone] to fast, then with the permission of the bishop, the indicated [number] of days can be reduced, for this [approach] also follows from unwritten church tradition.

Gradually this line prevailed. In Rus', changes in the rules of fasting at first met with resistance (but not in relation to the duration of fasting - which, due to the initial orientation of Rus' to the monastic tradition, most likely already corresponded to the instructions of the Studite Rule - but in relation to the abolition of fasting on holidays), however, gradually became the generally accepted norm . With the introduction of the Jerusalem Rule, which contains approximately the same Rule on the Nativity Fast as in the Typikons of the "Evergetid" direction, the old practices were finally abandoned.

However, some traces of the latter still remained: for example, in the Typicon of the monastery of St. John the Baptist on Mount Menikio, compiled in 1332, only after the feast of St. Nicholas, monastics are ordered to switch to a diet once a day; in other words, the first half of the Lent was still held according to the old studio practice, and only the second - according to later and more strict traditions. In fact, the legacy of the Studio tradition - perhaps from the time of Kievan Rus - is the Ukrainian custom to cook on Christmas Eve the so-called "twelve dishes": "kutya" (sochivo), lean dumplings, lean borscht with mushrooms, etc., but also fried fish.

It is not known how the modern practice of the Greek and other Greek Churches, where the Nativity fast lasts forty days in monasteries, and in the world - only a week, should be assessed: as a legacy of old Byzantine traditions or as a later indulgence. In the Russian Church, which throughout its history was guided by the monastic tradition, this practice is not attested.

III. The Rule of the Nativity Fast in the Modern Typicon
in the light of data from prenikon publications

We have already seen that the indications of the modern Russian Typikon on the Nativity Fast refer to two different sections of the book: the Monthly Book (chapter under November 14) and the disciplinary charter (chapter "On the resolution of the whole summer"), and there are some contradictions between them. The same is observed in the pre-Nikonian editions of The Eye of the Church.

The indications about fasting in the composition of the Monthly Book are almost exactly the same as in the modern Typicon, and instead of the dates of the holidays (see above, I.3. B) the names of venerated saints are indicated explicitly . The only difference is the exclusion from the post-Nikon edition of the charter of a small chapter on the transfer of the memories of the most revered saints from Monday, Wednesday and Friday to neighboring days in order to be able to eat fish on these holidays.

As for the disciplinary charter, there are very significant differences in its content. In two of the three pre-Nikon editions (with the exception of the "Eye ..." of 1633), not one, but three whole paragraphs in the disciplinary charter are devoted to the Nativity Fast. The first paragraph suggests different levels of fasting permission depending on the sign of the saint being celebrated; the second speaks of the division of the Nativity fast into two periods - before the memory of St. Nicholas and after it; the third deals with the topic of the difference in the measure of fasting between monks and laity.

Since the post-Nikonian Typicon contains only the first paragraph of these three (probably influenced by the 1633 edition), we should start with it. Donikon's "Eye of the Church" offers the following classification of holidays: without special celebration, with polyeleos, with vigil, patronal feast. This alone - the holidays do not begin with "doxology", but with polyeleos, and the classification itself contains more gradations - looks more logical than the instructions in the edited charter. The instructions themselves on the measure of fasting on different days of the week, depending on the status of the holiday, are as follows:

- a day without a special holiday

Mon - dry eating, meal only once a day, in the evening

Tue, Thu - vegetable oil and wine are allowed, a meal twice a day

Wed, Fri - dry food, meal only once a day, in the evening

- polyeleos

Mon - vegetable oil and wine are allowed, a meal twice a day

Wed, Fri - only wine is allowed, no vegetable oil, meals twice a day

- vigil

Mon - fish is allowed, a meal twice a day

Tue, Thu - fish allowed, meal twice a day

Wed, Fri - vegetable oil and wine are allowed, meals twice a day

- patronal feast

any day of the week - fish is allowed, a meal twice a day

These instructions do not contradict the instructions in the Monthly Book: Monday is not put on a par with Tuesday and Thursday, fish is still allowed only on patronal holidays. Thus, it can be argued that the most striking contradictions in the current Typicon (see paragraph Ι.6 above) in relation to the instructions on the Nativity fast are due to the unsuccessful editing of the disciplinary statute.

Further, in the second paragraph of the disciplinary charter from the pre-Nikonian editions of The Eye of the Church, there is a rule that in the first half of Lent, until the memory of St. Nicholas, eating fish is still allowed on Tuesdays and Thursdays; only the second half of the post follows all the strict rules set out in other sections of the Eye .... Above, we mentioned the presence of similar indications in one of the Byzantine charters of the XIV century (Typicon of St. John the Baptist on Mount Menikio). It can be concluded that the division of the Nativity fast into two periods - less strict and more strict - was traditional for Rus' and dates back to the customs of the Byzantine era.

Finally, in the third paragraph of the disciplinary statute from The Eye of the Church, concerning the topic of the Nativity Fast, monks are ordered to eat fish during this fast only on Saturdays and Sundays, while the laity are allowed to do this also on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Obviously, there is a contradiction with the above instructions, but it is not this in itself that deserves attention, but the recommendations on how to keep the fast for the laity in comparison with the monks. Contrary to expectations, these recommendations do not boil down to a call to loosen the fast for those in the world, but, on the contrary, to strengthen it for those in the monastery.

In addition to the publications of the Eye of the Church, it is necessary to dwell on one more source - the so-called Small Charter (or the Charter on Home Prayer), a book on cell prayer, prostrations and fasts, which has great authority among the Old Believers. This book itself took shape already in the post-Nikon era, but its instructions were compiled on the basis of the Great Charter, that is, the "Eye of the Church" of 1641, the Solovetsky Charter (= Obikhodnik of the Solovetsky Monastery, which went in a large number of handwritten copies), charter chapters from the pre-Nikon editions of various books . In particular, the Nativity Fast is discussed here in chapter 32. First, with reference to the “Great Charter”, a charter already familiar to us is described: in the first half of the fast, before St. other days; in the second half of the fast, fish is left for Saturdays and Sundays, and for Tuesdays and Thursdays - only oil and wine (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays continue to be marked by dry eating). Then an indication is given from the "Nomocanon" and the "Article on Christian Life" - both of these texts penetrated into the composition of Moscow church books from books of the southern and Western Russian press only in the 1640s - about the possibility of tasting oil and wine also on Mondays.

But then, in the Small Charter, an extract from the Solovetsky Charter is given, where on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it is allowed to eat “shchi”, that is, vegetable stew, and two more dishes: on Wednesdays and Fridays, both are cold (this is how the prescription for “dry eating” was understood in Russia ”: like even cooked, but cooled food), and on Mondays - one is hot and the other is cold. After the feast of St. Nicholas, fish on Saturdays and Sundays is replaced by “plasti”, that is, dried fish, the charter of Mondays (one hot dish, the other cold) goes to Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Mondays begin to be observed according to the charter of Wednesday and Friday. The last five days of fasting, Saturday and Sunday, retain permission only for vegetable oil, and on all other days - dry eating. Compared to the Byzantine rules, including their exposition in the Church's Eye, the Solovetsky Rule looks softer: every day there is a hot soup, and instead of one, there are two dishes. However, it is he who is better suited to the needs of the harsh climate of the Russian North, while maintaining all the necessary severity. At the same time, it does not mention the frequent use of wine, which, unlike Byzantium, was not characteristic of Rus'. The role of wine, which the Byzantine monks used not for the sake of intoxication, but because of the useful substances contained in it, was performed in Rus' by products made from berries, etc. The Solovetsky statute is closest to the real practice of fasting in Rus'.

IV. The Practical Application of the Rule of Fasting: Some Remarks

Concluding the analysis of the statutory instructions on the Nativity Fast, first of all, it is necessary to make the following remark. List of revered holidays contained in the printed Typicon (see above Ι.3. B), contains only the memory of ancient saints. This is not surprising - the Typicon is based on the statutes of a thousand years ago. But among the saints of November-December there are many new Russian memories, which should also be included in the category of especially revered ones. You can point to the memory of: St. Philaret of Moscow (19.11 old style / 2.12 new style), the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky, in schema Alexy (23.11 old style / 6.12 new style), the consecration of the Church of the Great Martyr George in Kiev (“St. George’s Day”: 26.11 old style / 9.12 new style), the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” (27.11 old style / 10.12 new style), Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov) (28.11 old style). St. / 11.12 New Style), Hieromartyr Hilarion of Vereya (15.12 Old Style / 28.12 New Style), Righteous John of Kronstadt (20.12 Old Style / 2.01 New Style; coincides with the memory of St. Ignatius the God-bearer) , St. Peter of Kiev, Moscow and All Russia (21.12 old style / 3.01 new style). Great reverence is given to the memory of the Great Martyr Catherine (24.11 old style / 7.12 new style), St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky (12.12 old style / 25.12 new style), despite the fact that the charter indicates their service without special celebration. On the contrary, the memory of the Holy Five-Numbered Martyrs - Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius and Orestes (13.12 old style / 26.12 new style), although it is not listed in the general chapter on the rule of the Nativity fast under November 14, has polyeleos and should also be included in the category of especially revered. Together with the remembrances already mentioned in the Typicon itself, you will get about 20 days, that is, exactly half of the entire duration of the fast!

From what has been said, it follows that even strict According to the letter of the charter, in the coming Advent of 2017, the laity should not eat fish only on the following days (according to the new style): November 29, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 29 December and from January 1 to 6. At the same time, among the dates listed, there are many holidays on which certain indulgences can be made, so that the most strict fast is preserved only for four days of December: 15, 27, 29 (food once a day, without oil) and 21 ( food with butter), as well as several days of January (there may be disagreement about their number).

Another, more significant remark concerns the very concept of "fasting". Over the many centuries of the existence of Christianity, this concept has undergone a serious transformation. Once in the ancient Church, the corresponding word denoted a complete refusal of food during the day, until the evening, and in the evening - tasting as little of it as possible (for which, for example, the rule appeared that food on days of strict fasting is served cold, i.e. less attractive). The non-use of modest foods was considered simple “abstinence”. As St. Nikon of Montenegro also wrote, “Other is fasting and other is abstinence. And fasting is a hedgehog without touching any food all day ... But abstinence ... is always appropriate for those who want to be saved ”(Taktikon, Word 10th).

As we have seen, with the development of monastic rules, the periods of abstinence, in the sense of a diet without quick meals, became longer. But at the same time, due to the increase in the number of holidays, there were fewer and fewer truly fasting days, when food was not eaten at all for the whole day. By now such days even by letter there are very few charter left (for example, such days were listed above in the coming December: there are only four of them!), And in practice, “fasting” has long been understood only as a change in the composition of dishes, but not their quantity. Such abstinence- in the light of the mild, as has been shown, the Typicon's prescriptions for the Nativity Fast - it can be observed by anyone without much difficulty (of course, with the exception of those who have objective medical contraindications), especially taking into account what St. Nikon of Montenegro said about him. But it should be remembered that fast implies something more.

Advent Fast 2018 is multi-day and lasts 40 days, but Advent Fast is not considered as strict as Great Lent. The menu of the Nativity Fast may include dishes prepared using vegetable oil. The diet calendar for the days of Advent includes days of dry eating, days on which you can not drink wine and eat meat, and some other exceptions.

A little about Christmas

The Nativity fast is also called "Philip's post", because. comes after the feast day of the Apostle Philip. All Christians and believers try to observe the Christmas fast, because the time of fasting is the time to cleanse your body, body and soul. By the way, fasting is not only abstaining from food. During fasting, it is customary to pray and repent, for it is believed that only a person with a purified soul and a repentant can meet the Son of God, who once appeared on Earth.

The Advent Fast is the final fast of the outgoing year. The Advent fast will begin on November 28, 2018, and end on January 6, 2018, on the eve of the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

If the first part of the Lent (from 11/28/2018 to 01/01/2019) allows for non-strict observance of the lenten menu, then the last week of the Christmas Lent (from 01/01/2019 to 01/06/2019) is the most strict, correct, and sometimes even difficult.

The Advent fast is observed in winter, towards the end of the outgoing year. This time is given to the laity and clergy in order to purify and renew their spirit, to prepare for the praise of Jesus Christ. Also, the time of fasting is given so that people make a sacrifice for what they received during the year. Since the Lord has been merciful all year and generously endowed people, they, in turn, should be generous with the poor during fasting.

Important! During the Nativity Fast, a person has the opportunity to cleanse the soul of the burden accumulated over the year, cleanse the hearts of anger, hatred, slander, filling these problems with love, faith and humility.

Menu by day during Advent

In general, all 40 days of fasting can be divided into three periods, the menu of which will be somewhat different from each other. The first period of fasting is counted from the first day of Advent until December 19th. The second period includes the days from 12/20/2018 to 01/01/2019. The third period begins on January 2, 2019, and lasts until the end of the Advent. The daily food calendar for the laity is given below. It is known that for the laity the menu is more sparing than for the ministers of the church. Fasting for the laity is not so strict.

The first period of fasting (11/28/2018 - 12/19/2018)

Monday - vegetable products prepared without vegetable oil. Can be consumed hot.

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday - hot vegetable food, you can add vegetable oil, you can afford a piece of fish.

Wednesday and Friday - No cooking. This day is called dry eating.

For the rest of the weeks of the first period of Advent, the food calendar for the days of the menu is repeated.

The only exception is December 4 (Friday is the day of dry eating). December 4 - Orthodox feast of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In honor of the holiday, you can treat yourself to a glass of red wine, but nothing more.

The second period of fasting (from 12/20/2018 to 01/01/2019)

Monday - vegetable dishes, hot, but without the addition of vegetable oil.

Tuesday and Thursday - the menu for these days is the same. You can eat vegetable food and vegetable oil.

Wednesday and Friday - as in the first period of fasting, these days only uncooked food is eaten, i.e. xerophagy.

Days off (Saturday and Sunday) - cooked vegetable food with vegetable oil, some fish.

In the second period of Advent, there is also a small exception: on January 1, after New Year's Eve, you can drink a small amount of wine.

The third period of fasting (01/02/2019 - 01/06/2019)

This is the final period of the Advent, it is also the strictest, and will last a week.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday - have the same menu. These days you can eat plant foods without heat treatment, that is, dry food.

Tuesday and Thursday - you can eat hot vegetable food, but without vegetable oil.

Days off - hot vegetable dishes with vegetable oil are allowed.

January 6 (Saturday) - the last day of fasting, he is Christmas Eve. This is the toughest day. This day got its name "Christmas Eve" from the name of the dish - Sochivo. Sochivo is made from grains of wheat, lentils or rice. According to the church charter, Sochivo is eaten on the evening of January 6, and nothing else is eaten during the day.

The Advent fast is divided into three periods of fasting. According to the lenten menu, on some days you can drink a little wine, eat fish. Compliance with the diet during fasting not only helps to strengthen the spirit, but also helps to cleanse the body.

What can you eat while fasting
The daily food calendar for the Advent Lent, as you can see, has its own structure. The days are divided into those in which you can eat hot vegetable food with or without vegetable oil, dry eating. So what of the entire range of products is suitable for these days and what can you eat?

Vegetable food hot cooked without oil

In the diet of such days, you can afford not only boiled vegetables, but also the following dishes (should be cooked in accordance with the rules of fasting):

Kissel
boiled rice
Vareniki
Candied fruit

Vegetable food hot cooked with butter

This menu can also be varied, you can enjoy:

Eggplant caviar
Bread with hummus
apple pie
tomato paste
Tomato soup
Potatoes with mushrooms
Falafel

Xerophagy

These days are the most limited in your diet, but everything is not so scary. There are many delicious foods that are just as tasty when raw as they are cooked. On dry days, you can:

Fruits
Vegetables
Honey
nuts
Bread
Tea (it is believed that tea is not a decoction, but a tincture of herbs)

Advice! On days of dry eating, dried fruits help to cope with hunger. Any dried fruit is allowed, except bananas.

Lenten Recipes

Even during fasting, you can eat tasty and interesting, the main thing is to know the right recipes! The Christmas fast can be quite intense, and most importantly, not a single rule of fasting is violated.

baked pumpkin

What you need:

Mature pumpkin of medium size
Honey
Nuts or sesame

Cooking method:

Cut the pumpkin of a sweet variety into slices and put on a baking sheet, after laying parchment paper on it.
Heat the oven to 220 degrees.
Bake pumpkin slices for 60 minutes. You can reduce the time by determining the readiness by a strong smell.
Remove the pumpkin from the oven, pour generously with honey and sprinkle with nuts.

Such a dish can be prepared on days when hot vegetable dishes without vegetable oil are allowed.

Advice! It is fashionable to use sugar instead of honey, but in this case the dish will turn out not very juicy.

Cabbage salad with nuts

Required Ingredients:

medium sized cabbage
onion head
Several walnuts
Bunch of fresh cilantro
Apple vinegar
Salt

How to cook cabbage salad with nuts:

Finely chop the cabbage, removing the stalk.
Salt the cabbage intensively, cover and leave for 20 minutes.
When the cabbage gives juice, it should be squeezed out.
In the meantime, you need to chop the onion, crush the walnuts.
Add these ingredients to the cabbage.
Finely chop the cilantro and add to the dish too.
Season the salad with apple cider vinegar. The amount of vinegar is determined by taste.

This recipe can be safely used on dry days.

Pear and arugula salad

This salad has a simple recipe, and its preparation will require a minimum of ingredients and a minimum of time. You can eat on raw food days, as well as on days when plant foods are allowed without oil and heat treatment.

Required products:

2 sweet pears
some hazelnuts
Arugula
A handful of seedless raisins

For salad dressing:

100 ml grapefruit juice
Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
Half a teaspoon of sugar

Cooking method:

Peel the pear from the skin and seeds, cut into 8 pieces.
Put arugula in a large container, add raisins and nuts.
Mix apple cider vinegar with grapefruit juice and sugar.
Pour dressing over greens with nuts and raisins, and then add pears.

Lenten gingerbread

During fasting, it is difficult for many to refuse something sweet, from baking. But, there are also recipes for lean baking. Lenten gingerbread recipe is suitable for days when a hot plant-based meal is allowed.

What do you need:

3 tablespoons flour
glass of sugar
teaspoon of soda
Two tablespoons of table vinegar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Such a de amount of any jam

How to cook:

Knead the dough from the indicated ingredients.
Put the dough in a baking dish and put in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees.

During the Christmas Lent, you can eat fully without losing energy. Of course, on January 6, on Christmas Eve, you will have to test your willpower and not eat anything all day, but in the evening break the fast with kutya, or as this dish is also called, juicy. By the way, you can’t drink on Christmas Eve, even water.

The time of fasting is a period for meditation, prayer, and abstaining from certain foods. Fasting strengthens the spirit and consciousness of a person, so believers observe it. In addition, fasting is a good way to cleanse yourself of everything dirty, unnecessary and burdensome on the eve of the New Year.

The Nativity Fast is one of the main multi-day Orthodox fasts. It precedes an important event in the life of a believer - the Nativity of Christ. The beginning of the fast falls on the day after the veneration of the memory of the Apostle Philip. Therefore, another name has taken root in the Orthodox tradition - Philip's post.

Timeslot for Advent

The calendar duration of Advent is 40 days. Its beginning is calculated from November 28, and the end falls on January 7. The conspiracy for the Nativity fast is carried out on November 27. On this day, you can still eat fast food. The Advent fast is not distinguished by strict prescriptions, as it has significant dietary indulgences.

Purpose of Advent

The main purpose of the Nativity Fast is to prepare spiritually for the celebration of the Bright Holiday. It is important these days to think about your soul: attend the temple, participate in the Holy Sacraments, serve as a close deed or a kind word. And dietary restrictions are just one of the means for purifying the soul and reverent meeting.

Important! Go to church for confession during Lent.

Prohibited foods in the Advent

Orthodox people are forbidden to eat animal products. These include: meat, poultry, dairy products and eggs. Severity in nutrition, the church charter is divided into 2 periods.

• dry eating (food not subjected to heat treatment) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday;
• hot food on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the addition of vegetable oil;
• herbal products with oil, fish and wine on December 4, December 19 and weekends.

• on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, dry eating is similar;
• on weekends, as well as on Tuesday and Thursday, only hot food seasoned with vegetable oil is allowed.

January 6 is called Christmas Eve, on which you can eat once a day after vespers. Traditionally, sochivo is used. The above rules are designed for monastics, so Orthodox lay people need to take a blessing from a confessor. In the days of the Advent, even in lenten food, attention should be paid to moderation. This criterion also applies to the use of wine.

What can you eat on Christmas Day?

In fasting foods of plant origin are allowed. You should not be limited to a couple of types of cereals. The menu should be quite varied and nutritious. This is necessary to maintain physical strength and health.

The basis of the diet should be the following products:

• Cereals. Of these, buckwheat, rice (preferably brown), oatmeal, millet and pearl barley are in demand.
• Vegetables. Mandatory in the diet. It is advisable to use vegetables prepared for this season. These include: white cabbage, turnips, etc.
• Legumes. They make up for the lack of meat and dairy products, saturating the body with proteins. Useful: beans, peas, lentils.
• Fruits. Actual use of apples and tangerines. Frozen berries are added when preparing fruit drinks and compotes.
• Bakery products. Whole grain breads, rye buns and pasta are great.
• Oils. In addition to sunflower, you can eat olive, rapeseed, linseed and mustard oil.
• Fish. It can be: mackerel, perch, herring, cod, pink salmon and others.

In addition, nuts and dried fruits will help diversify the diet.

Who is eligible for concessions?

In Orthodoxy, there are significant indulgences in fasting for a certain group of people. This can be either a complete lack of abstinence from fast food, or a partial one.

The following are exempted from the post:

• women who are pregnant or breastfeeding;
• military personnel and persons in prison;
• sick people, in this case, the doctor's recommendations should be taken into account;
• children.

It is important to remember that the absence of bodily fasting must be compensated, for example, by refraining from recreational activities, smoking, alcohol, increasing prayer and helping people around.

The measure of abstinence must be determined for each Orthodox person on an individual basis. With this question it is reasonable to approach the priest and consult. Most importantly, on these holy days, do not judge or offend your loved one. It is worth remembering that the Orthodox fast is, first of all, a time of solitude for communion with God and cleansing from

Advent began on November 28th. It will run until the first star on January 6, 2018. Its main goal is spiritual cleansing, and not a diet, as some believe. It is necessary to throw out all bad thoughts from your head, forgive all your offenders, do good, repent of sins and drive away bad thoughts and temptations from yourself. Traditionally fasting lasts 40 days.

What is prohibited?

During Christmas Lent you can not eat:
- meat;
- cheese;
- butter;
- milk.

What can you eat?

Vegetables and fruits, flour products are allowed in the Christmas fast, with the exception of rich ones. You can eat fish until January 2, but only after the evening service on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Also, fish is allowed on church holidays:

November 29 - Memorial Day of the Holy Apostle Matthew;
December 4 - Entry into the temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
December 6 - Memorial Day of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky;
December 13 - Memorial Day of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called;
December 19 - Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker;

The strictness of fasting intensifies from January 2. These days, even fish is prohibited until Christmas, and in Russia the New Year is celebrated on these days.

How does the post end?

Christmas Eve falls on January 6th. On this day, you can eat only soaked wheat grains with honey and fruits. The fast ends with the appearance of the first star in the sky.

By tradition, the table was set for 12 people according to the number of apostles. However, the menu for this evening should still be Lenten. In memory of the manger in which Jesus was born, a bunch of fresh hay was always placed on the table.

In general, the daily diet for fasting people looks like this:

Preparation for the holiday of Christmas in 2019 lasts 40 days. During this period, many users on the Web are worried about whether the Christmas post can be organized one way or another in terms of the menu.

History of Advent

The history of the advent of the Nativity Fast began as far back as the 4th century. Initially, the duration of this fast was only a week, during which people had time to fully cleanse themselves of sins.

But as time passed, the church decided that the week of abstinence before the brightest holiday of the year was not enough, and in 1166 it was decided to increase the duration of the Nativity fast to 40 days. This decision was approved and since then it has become customary that the most recent post lasts 40 days and ends on January 7th.

Therefore, in order to determine when the beginning of the Advent, you only have to count 40 days ago on the calendar of January 7, 2019, and then you get the date - November 28, 2018.

From this day on, it will be necessary to start fasting for 40 days, limiting yourself not only in the daily menu, but also in entertainment and festivities.

The Advent Lent in 2018 is the last Lent of the year, which can be compared with Great Lent in terms of duration and significance. If Great Lent begins the year, then the Nativity Fast ends it.

The Orthodox also call the Nativity Fast the Philip Fast, since the beginning of the fast days is preceded by the feast day of the Apostle Philip.

What can you eat on Christmas Day

To begin with, let's take a general look at what you can eat during the Advent, and then we'll talk in more detail about the food during the Advent fast by day. It is known that the Christmas fast is strict. During these 40 days from November 28 to January 6, Orthodox Christians abstain from meat, dairy products and eggs. Also, many are interested in fish in the Christmas post.

Regarding eating fish, there are rules of varying severity. According to the mildest charter, fish can be eaten on all days except Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday and Friday, one should also not drink wine, and food should be eaten without oil - this is called dry eating. Dry eating includes foods of plant origin that have not been cooked, non-cooked foods such as bread, fresh, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits. But the moment is also important here: even observing all the gastronomic rigor of fasting, we must not forget that these forty days are primarily for the spirit, and not for the body.

What can not be done on Christmas Lent?

During fasting, there are restrictions not only on eating. First of all, of course, you can not sin. Also, believers consciously refuse entertainment. Weddings and weddings are not allowed. Drunkenness is considered one of the most serious sins. The use of wine during the Nativity Fast is allowed, but the measure must be observed.

How to eat on Christmas fast by day

At the meal, food with vegetable oil is allowed (except Wednesday and Friday), on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays - fish. The strictness of fasting intensifies in the last week before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, food is not eaten until the first star.

28.11. Wednesday (hot without oil)
Breakfast: oatmeal on the water with honey;
Lunch: stew with rice;
Dinner: pumpkin soup with coconut milk.

29.11. Thursday (hot with butter, fish)
Breakfast: Vedic rice with fruits;
Lunch: boutiques with chickpea paste;
Dinner: buckwheat with fried carrots.

30.11. Friday (dry eating)
Breakfast: dates, nuts;
Lunch: vegetable salad;
Dinner: carrot-coconut soup.

1.12. Saturday (hot with butter, fish)
Breakfast: oatmeal with butter and honey;
Lunch: mashed potatoes and carrots;
Dinner: steamed vegetable salad

2.12. Sunday (dry eating)
Breakfast: dried fruits, nuts;
Lunch: fruit salad (apples, pears);
Dinner: cauliflower salad.

3.12. Monday (hot with butter, fish)
Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins;
Lunch: cabbage pancakes;
Dinner: vinaigrette.

4.12. Tuesday (hot with butter, fish)
Breakfast: lazy oatmeal with nuts;
Lunch: belyashi with potatoes and cabbage
Dinner: pea soup.