The Orthodox Church does not plunge immediately into the strictness of Great Lent. Two preparatory weeks ease the faithful into the fast: Meatfare Week and Cheesefare Week (also called Maslenitsa or “Butter Week”).
The Pre-Lenten Sundays
The liturgical preparation for Great Lent begins four Sundays before Clean Monday, with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. Over those weeks, the Church introduces themes of repentance, exile (the Sunday of the Prodigal Son), and judgment (Meatfare Sunday) through the Triodion — the hymnographic book of the pre-Lenten season.
Meatfare Sunday and Week
Meatfare Sunday is the last Sunday on which meat is permitted before Pascha. After this day, meat (and poultry and meat-based broths) is put aside entirely until after the Paschal Vigil — roughly seven weeks away.
During the week following Meatfare Sunday, Wednesday and Friday remain fast days, but dairy, eggs, fish, and wine continue to be permitted on those days. (This is the one exception in the calendar where the normal Wednesday/Friday fast is observed with more leniency.)
Some practices allow wine and oil on the fast days of Meatfare Week, since the focus is on giving up meat.
Cheesefare Week (Maslenitsa)
Cheesefare Week begins on the Monday after Meatfare Sunday. During this week:
- Meat is already forbidden (since last Sunday)
- Dairy, eggs, and fish are permitted every day — including Wednesday and Friday
- Wednesday and Friday are not observed as strict fasts this week
This makes Cheesefare Week a kind of deliberate festivity before the austerity begins. In Slavic tradition, Maslenitsa is a week of blini (buckwheat pancakes with butter and sour cream), visits, and celebration. It is not decadence for its own sake — the Church has blessed this indulgence precisely because what follows will be long and demanding.
Cheesefare Sunday: The Forgiveness Sunday
The final Sunday of Cheesefare Week is one of the most solemn and beautiful days of the year. Three things happen:
- Cheese and dairy are put away — this is the last day of dairy until Pascha.
- The Sunday of Forgiveness — at Vespers, the faithful perform the rite of mutual forgiveness, bowing to one another and asking forgiveness for any offense during the past year. “Forgive me, a sinner.” “God forgives. Forgive me as well.”
- Great Lent begins — the Vespers of Forgiveness Sunday is already sung in Lenten mode, and Great Compline follows. The fast has begun.
What to Eat
Meatfare Week:
No meat. Dairy, fish, wine, and oil are permitted. Wednesday and Friday may restrict wine and oil depending on parish custom.
Cheesefare Week:
No meat. Dairy and eggs are fully permitted every day. Fish, wine, and oil are permitted. Wednesday and Friday are not fasted.
After Forgiveness Sunday Vespers:
Clean Monday begins. Strict Great Lent rules apply: no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no fish (fish returns only on March 25 and Palm Sunday if the usual calendar holds). Oil and wine are allowed only on weekends.
Why the Church Does This
The gradual withdrawal mirrors the pastoral wisdom of the Orthodox tradition. Radical deprivation from one day to the next is not the pattern — instead, the body and spirit are brought to the fast step by step. The joyful farewell of Cheesefare Week makes the beginning of Lent meaningful rather than merely grim.
As the Forgiveness Vespers puts it: the fast has come, the mother of chastity, the accuser of sins, the proclaimer of repentance, the life of the angels.
Ask your priest about local customs — some communities observe stricter rules during Meatfare and Cheesefare Weeks than others.