Fariza

The value of fasting consists not in abstinence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful practices; since he who limits his fasting only to an abstinence from meats, is one who especially disparages it.

St. John Chrysostom

I have a complicated relationship with the holiday season. While I still appreciate certain aspects of it, for the most part, it feels like an extravagant waste of time, money, and calories. But it wasn’t always this way. I was once a child who stood in awe of the season’s magic.

As a kid growing up in the post-Soviet world, the anticipation of New Year’s festivities was one of my favorite things in the entire world. I also grew up in a Muslim country, which means I did not celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving. So, New Year’s Eve was my Christmas and Ramadan was my time to give thanks.

New Year’s Eve was my favorite holiday growing up. It is also one of the biggest holidays in the former Soviet Union countries. We gather together with family, relatives, and friends. We cook an overwhelming amount of food and exchange gifts, mostly by handing out bags of candy to children. We feast, the adults drink generously, and everyone dances late into the night. Every so often, someone starts singing, which eventually turns into a crying session because someone brings up the old Soviet days and how everything seemed better back then.

We celebrate all night and the festivities don’t end there. They carry on for an entire week, all the way to Orthodox Christmas on January 7th.

There is nothing quite like a New Year’s season where I come from.

Now, things are quite different in the United States. While there is still an emphasis on spending time with family and close friends, the scale of consumption here is on an entire different level.

As we approach one of the most gluttonous seasons of the year, I think it is especially important for Christians to pause for a moment and reflect on what it is that we are truly celebrating.

In America people are used to indulging, especially during the holidays. The amount of food consumed, and the sheer volume of things purchased as gifts, is staggering. Although this is slowly changing as the economy worsens — layoffs continue, unemployment rises, and SNAP benefits are cut, the habit of excess remains deeply ingrained in the American culture. Perhaps, this is why, despite all our abundance, the holidays often leave many feeling weary rather than fulfilled.

However, no matter how uncertain the future might be, the holiday season should remain a time of festivity and deep reflection.

As followers of Jesus the birth of our Savior should draw us closer to Him and not the world.

In the West, we have commercialized the birth of Jesus to such an extent that even many Christians have lost sight of what this holy day actually represents. For those in Protestant churches, the birth of our Lord and Savior often feels indistinguishable from the rest of the world. The Protestant churches in America, in many ways have come to look just like the world.

If you truly want to encounter the sacred heart of our faith and touch heaven during the holiday season, you must look to Eastern Orthodoxy. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, leading up to Christmas, Orthodox Christians around the world fast for forty days. This is called the Nativity Fast. While abstaining from certain foods is part of the fast, its true purpose is to prepare us, both physically and spiritually, to grasp the magnitude of what God has done for humanity by bringing His Son into this world.

Why The Nativity Fast Matters

The Nativity Fast is one of the deep, meaningful practices in Orthodox Christianity that invites believers to slow down, reflect, and prepare for the birth of Christ in a culture that urges excess and distraction.

When I reflect on the spiritual crises facing the American church today and meditate on what might truly bring us healing, two things come to mind. First, having an actual relationship with Jesus not just in words but deeds, and second, the time-tested discipline of the Eastern Orthodox faith. Evangelical Christians in America need the fullness and structure Orthodoxy provides. It can nourish our souls in the very places where Western Christianity has left us spiritually hungry.

In an age of indulgence and hyper individualism, The Nativity fast isn’t merely a discipline. It is a countercultural form of spiritual care.

Let us fast an acceptable and very pleasing fast to the Lord. True fasting is being a stranger to vice, controlling the tongue, abstaining from anger, separating from lust, evil speech, lying, and swearing.

– St. Basil the Great

Fasting is a powerful antidote to a Western world that’s obsessed with excess. It allows us to limit our earthly desires, which creates space for God’s presence to become more evident in our lives. The Nativity Fast is not simply about dietary restrictions, it is about transformation and spiritual clarity. By turning away from distractions, believers open themselves to miracles, intimacy with Christ, and a deeper spiritual awareness of their non-material needs.

The Early Church

The Nativity Fast dates back to the 4th century. It was first observed by monks and later adopted by all Orthodox Christians as a communal preparation for Jesus’s birth. The Church councils of Hippo and Constantinople affirmed its purpose as a time for spiritual renewal. The forty-day duration recalls significant periods of testing and transformation throughout Scripture.

The deeper invitation of the fast is repentance, forgiveness, mercy, and genuine prayer life. For Orthodox Christians, this is more than tradition. It is a living faith.

The Nativity Fast Overview

The Nativity Fast begins November 15th and continues for 40 days, leading up to Christmas. Orthodox Christians abstain from meat, dairy, and eggs while focusing on prayer, charity, and repentance. Most days, seafood, fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes are permitted.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, the fast intensifies. No fish, olive oil, or wine; only shellfish, plant-based foods, grains, and legumes are allowed. The final days (December 13-24) are stricter still; fish is set aside, and olive oil and wine are permitted only on weekends. Christmas Eve is especially austere, aligning with sense of holy anticipation.

Here are some practical tips for those who will be fasting for the first time:

• Start Small: If the full fast seems daunting, begin by abstaining from specific foods and limiting your portions.
• Focus on Prayer: Replace the time spent preparing or eating big meals with prayer and Scripture reading.
• Practice Charity: Each time you skip spending money on something you probably don’t need, consider giving it to someone in need. Ask God where that money is suppose to go.
• Seek Accountability: Connect with your church family and spiritual father. Don’t do this alone.

(Disclaimer: Please take this and anything I write as a suggestion. I claim no spiritual authority in offering it. Always consult your spiritual father before beginning any fast).

Fasting as Personal Healing

For many Christians, fasting is not just discipline that draws you closer to God but also an opportunity to heal. If you struggle with overeating, self-image or food-related anxieties, the Orthodox fast can be a gentle teacher. God can use it to renew your relationship with food, reminding you that nourishment is for sustenance and not a copying mechanism. Practiced thoughtfully and with medical wisdom, fasting cultivates gratitude, balance, and renewed reliance on God’s provision.

We eat for the glory of God, and we fast for the glory of God.

While not part of the ancient practice, modern believers may also benefit from fasting from other distractions like social media and the amount of time spent browsing the internet, or using your smartphone.

And remember fasting is a time for reflection, forgiveness, and opening our hearts to receive more of God’s presence in our lives.

Living the Christian Life in America

Being a Christian today, especially in fast-paced, success-driven culture, means living against the grain. Our kingdom is not of this world. Everything about our faith is upside down. We are the peculiar people of this world. That is why it is extremely important for Christians to cultivate a habit of fasting because it offers a spiritual anchor. We need to be reminded every day that the things of God are infinitely more important and satisfying than the things of this world. Without spiritual rhythm like fasting and prayer life can feel overwhelming and hopeless.

When we form spiritual practices in our lives, we begin to find supernatural peace in the world that is full of chaos.

America is a country overflowing with material abundance, even despite its current economic struggles. It is, however, spiritually starving and desperately in need of the ancient gifts Orthodoxy preserves: discipline, repentance, and humility. The Nativity Fast is a gift given to us by God through His church. It is in no way meant to deprive Christians of the good things God has given, but to deepen our gratitude and joy in them.

The Nativity Fast is the long-awaited medicine that can cure the soul of the American church.

As St. John Chrysostom reminds us, “Fasting is the change of every part of our life, because the sacrifice of the fast is not the abstinence but the distancing from sins.”

May the Lord sanctify our hearts while we offer ourselves to Him.