Nativity Fast
The forty-day fast preceding Christmas in Orthodox tradition.
The Nativity Fast is the forty-day fast preceding Christmas in Orthodox tradition, running from November 15 to December 24 on the Revised Julian calendar (equivalent dates on the Julian calendar for parishes following it). Orthodox observe abstinence from meat, dairy, eggs, and fish on most days, with specific exceptions on feast days during the fast. The fast intensifies in the final week. The Orthodox Christmas feast then breaks the fast at the Vigil and Divine Liturgy on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Nativity Fast is parallel to (though longer than) the Western tradition of Advent.