The Nativity Fast is the Orthodox preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Christ — Orthodox Christmas on December 25 (or January 7 for Old Calendar jurisdictions). It begins on November 15 and runs for 40 days, ending on Christmas Eve.
When is the Nativity Fast?
November 15 – December 24 (New Calendar)
Like Great Lent, the Nativity Fast lasts 40 days, though it is considerably less strict. In the Russian and Serbian traditions it is called Rozhdestvenskiy Post or Filipov Post (Philip’s Fast), as it begins the day after the feast of St. Philip the Apostle (November 14).
Fasting rules
The Nativity Fast has three phases of increasing intensity:
Phase 1: November 15 – December 19
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday — strict fast or wine-and-oil fast
- Tuesday, Thursday — wine and oil (no fish)
- Saturday, Sunday — fish, wine, and oil permitted
Phase 2: December 20–24 (the last five days) The fast intensifies. Fish is no longer permitted on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Some traditions observe stricter rules in this final week, particularly from December 23.
December 24 (Christmas Eve) Traditional rule: no food until after the first star appears in the sky (symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem). Some observe a strict dry fast; many simply abstain from all food until the evening liturgy.
What the Nativity Fast is not
The Nativity Fast is not a cultural “Advent” with a countdown calendar and relaxed atmosphere. It is a genuine fast — quieter and less intense than Great Lent, but nonetheless a real period of abstinence and prayer.
It is also not the same as Roman Catholic or Protestant Advent, which involves no fasting rules at all.
Christmas Day
December 25 — All foods are permitted. The fast is fully lifted. The feast begins.
Feast or Fast tracks where you are in the Nativity Fast each day and shows exactly what is permitted.