Coptic Orthodox Christians Observe Fasts on Nearly 210 Days a Year

Fasting is one of the major pillars of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt. According to the article, most Egyptians are unaware that Copts fast for more than half the year, nearly 210 of 365 days. Coptic fasting varies in form, ranging from intermittent fasting and a vegan diet to a vegan fast in which seafood is allowed. The article quotes the late Pope Shenouda II: “Make sure that fasting has changed anything in you. Consider how much you have fasted and you’re still the same!”

The Nativity Fast, known in the article as Advent, precedes Christmas and lasts 43 days. During it, Copts follow a vegan diet with seafood allowed. The source links the 43 days to the 40 days that Moses fasted before receiving the Ten Commandments, and to the three days Copts fasted before the miracle of moving the Mokattam Mountain during the reign of Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah, the fourth Fatimid caliph in Egypt.

Before Easter, the church observes a 55-day fast, which the article describes as the longest fast of the year and calls Lent or “The Great Fast.” It is strictly vegan. The period combines the 40 days that Jesus fasted with Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. The last week is described as the holiest time of the year in every Coptic household. A few days before Lent, Copts observe a three-day fast commemorating Jonah’s fast, or the fast of Nineveh. The article states that, according to the Bible, this fast represents the three days Jonah spent in the belly of the whale and the repentance of the people of Nineveh.

Some fasts have no fixed length. The Apostles Fast, according to Coptic tradition, marks the start of the apostles’ evangelistic journey after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, and it ends on the commemoration of the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. The Fast of the Virgin Mary, which runs from 7 to 21 August, is widely anticipated and, the article notes, is popular among both Christians and Muslims. The church permits fish during this fast, though many keep it strictly vegan, and churches and monasteries dedicated to Saint Mary are crowded with worshippers during this period.

Copts also fast every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year, except during the 50 days of the Easter season, which run from Easter Sunday to Pentecost and include the Feast of the Ascension. During that season churches are decorated in white, and fasting is suspended. The article says Wednesday marks the day Judas betrayed Jesus to the chief priests, and Friday marks the crucifixion. Copts also abstain from food and drink for nine hours before receiving holy communion during the Mass, corresponding to the time Jesus suffered on the cross on Good Friday.

Despite the importance of fasting, the church exempts children, the elderly, pregnant and nursing mothers, and anyone with medical complications from strict fasting, a provision the article presents as protecting those who cannot safely bear it (Proverbs 31:8-9). The article adds that children in the church are taught that fasting is more than a change of diet, but a time of spirituality and repentance.

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