Orthodox Great Lent around the world

[Mortimer]

I will try to fast as much and as correct as possible, i also think this is a good time to lose some weight... would be a good side effect and to prepare spiritually for easter

https://www.officeholidays.com/holid.../orthodox-lent

Great Lent marks the start of the Easter cycle in the Orthodox Christian Church

When is Great Lent?
Great Lent corresponds to Lent as found in Western Christianity, though the length of the periods are calculated in different ways.

They both use a period of 40 days between the beginning and end of Lent, because of the 40 days that Jesus is said to have spent fasting the desert. However, Western Christendom doesn't count Sundays because Jesus is recorded as having resurrected on a Sunday, whereas Eastern Orthodox churches do count Sundays.

The word "lent" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'lencten' which literally means "spring". 'Lencten' has a root in the Germanic word for long, which assigned itself to Spring as the days become longer.

In several countries, lent marks the start of spring. For example, in Greece, Clean Monday (Ash Monday) is taken to be the first day of spring.

In Greece and Cyprus, Lent is known as Saracosti, which comes from the word forty, which is the forty day period until Palm Sunday and then one more week until Easter Day making a total of 49 days of "fasting". The fasting is done so that the body and spirit are "cleansed" to prepare for accepting the Resurrection.

During Saracosti, no meat or dairy foods are eaten. Instead, Lenten food usually consists of plenty of olives, taramasalata, Halva, vegetables, legumes and seafood, such as calamari, octopus, shrimps, oysters, cuttlefish, mussels, lobsters etc. Fish is not allowed with the exception on two days: on the 25th of March (Annunciation of the Virgin Mary) and on Palm Sunday.

Key Dates in Great Lent
The Orthodox Easter period influences a range of festivals and events. The following is an overview of the events. Click the name of a holiday to read more about an individual event.

[tropicalslavic]

And right now it is cheese week.

I find it funny how every year, all year, I do not have any craving for meat. Until there is a fasting period in the Church. Then all of the sudden, grilled chicken sounds great.

I am a part of an Orthodox minority in my country so most of what we eat in my family during this time of year is Balkan in origin, since there are many more Lenten food ideas coming from that part of Europe due to how many more people fast there.

[kingmob]

The original fasting method of the first Christians was a dry fast (no water/food) from sunset to sundown (similar to how Muslims do it), then breaking the fast with vegetarian food + seafood.