Fasting 012: “Pieces of bread and one cup of wine…”

The Eve of Theophany, like Christmas Eve, is usually a day of strict fasting, but there is often some confusion with respect to how exactly we are to observe this fast. The confusion seems to come primarily from the often-incorrect timing of the Liturgy in parish churches as well as from popular beliefs about waiting for the first star to appear - which, it must be admitted, is a fun idea, especially for children. In addition to these confusions, this year, the Eve of Theophany falls on a Saturday - a day on which, in the Orthodox tradition, we do not fast. Let us try to explore some of these issues.

First, let us begin with an observation that in the Typikon, fasting is understood as a complete abstinence from food. All of the dietary variations - allowances for oil or fish or eggs - are modes of feasting, not fasting. (Please see a previous post for more information.) Thus, receiving Communion at the Divine Liturgy, in the mind of the Typikon, in fact breaks the fast; even though bread is made from wheat, and wine is made from grapes - both of which are fasting foods according to the way many people think of fasting today. Therefore, when it comes to the interaction between fasting and the Liturgy, it is the fasting that determines the timing of the Liturgy, not the other way around. In other words, if we are to fast on a particular day, then the Liturgy is moved to the evening and combined with vespers, thus allowing us to observe the fast on that day until we receive Communion later in the evening. On the other hand, if it is not a fasting day - such as a Saturday or a Sunday - then the Liturgy is served in the morning. There can be other rare considerations, but in the first approximation, this is the basic premise of the Typikon.