Holy Week is the final week of Great Lent, and it is the most demanding fasting period in the Orthodox Church. The intensity increases each day as we draw closer to Pascha.
Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
These days follow the strict Great Lent rule: no meat, dairy, fish, wine, or oil. Many Orthodox Christians eat only once per day, after Vespers in the evening.
The services are long and spiritually weighty. The Bridegroom Matins services are served on the evenings of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The services of Holy Wednesday evening include the last celebration of the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy of the year.
Holy Thursday
On Holy Thursday, the Church commemorates the Last Supper. A single meal is permitted, with wine and oil allowed — a brief relaxation in honor of the institution of the Eucharist.
The Divine Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated, and the Gospel accounts of the Passion are read at the Matins service in the evening (the Twelve Passion Gospels).
Holy Friday
Great and Holy Friday is the strictest fast of the year. Many Orthodox Christians observe a complete fast — no food or water — until the Vespers service in the afternoon, when the burial shroud of Christ (the Epitaphios) is brought out.
After Vespers, some permit themselves bread and water only. No oil or wine.
This fast is one of absolute mourning. The Church is stripped bare. No Divine Liturgy is celebrated.
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday is a day of quiet anticipation. The rule permits only bread, water, and raw vegetables. No oil, wine, fish, or cooked food.
The Vesperal Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated on Saturday morning, during which fifteen Old Testament readings anticipate the Resurrection. After this service, many parishes permit a light meal.
In the evening, the Paschal Vigil begins — and everything changes.
The Paschal Vigil and Pascha
After the proclamation of the Resurrection at midnight — “Christ is risen!” — the fast is broken. The Paschal feast follows the Liturgy. All foods are blessed and consumed with joy.
The fast is not broken before the Vigil, no matter how late it begins.
Practical notes
Follow your parish. Local customs vary, particularly around Holy Thursday (some communities keep strict fast on Thursday as well). Your priest is the right guide.
Children and the sick are not required to fast as intensely. The goal is spiritual preparation, not physical harm.
The Jesus Prayer is a traditional companion to Holy Week fasting — short, portable, and fitting for a week of intense interior work.
Holy Week fasting is not an achievement. It is preparation for an encounter. The fast ends not with pride but with the proclamation that death itself has been defeated.