Weeks of the Great Fast
The Great Fast is a period beginning on the Monday after Cheesefare or Forgiveness Sunday, with Sundays commemorating events like the restoration of icons and honoring saints, Saturdays remembering the faithful departed and the Mother of God, and notable weekdays.


Chapter: Weeks of the Great Fast
The Weeks of the Great Fast
The Great Fast begins on the Monday after Cheesefare or Forgiveness Sunday. For this reason, the "weeks of the Fast" are counted somewhat differently from other times of the year. The first Sunday of the Fast comes at the end of the first week of the Fast, and the same with the remaining weeks:
Each Sunday of the Great Fast has a particular commemoration:
- First Sunday - the restoration of icons to the Church in the 9th century
- Second Sunday - Saint Gregory Palamas, a noted 14th century theologian
- Third Sunday - the veneration of the Holy Cross as we reach the midpoint of the Fast
- Fourth Sunday - Saint John Climacus, a 5th century abbot, whose book "The Ladder" is a masterpiece of monastic spiritual writing
- Fifth Sunday - Saint Mary of Egypt, a great penitent saint of the 4th century (read her Life here)
The Saturdays of the Great Fast also have commemorations associated with them:
- First Saturday - the miracle of Saint Theodore, in which the faithful were saved from being forced to eat meat which had been sacrificed to idols
- Second, Third and Fourth Saturdays - commemorations of the faithful departed
- Fifth Saturday - commemorating the protection of faithful by the Mother of God, with the singing of the Akathist Hymn
Finally, certain weekdays are of note:
- The first day of the Fast, called Clean or Pure Monday, is a day of exceptionally strict fasting.
- On Thursday in the Fifth Week, we sing the Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete - the Church's great hymn of repentance.
Source: https://mci.archpitt.org/liturgy/Great_Fast.html
Recommended Reading
- The Great Forty Days Fast (Great Lent) - A Traditional Custom of the Byzantine Rite. Byzantine Leaflet Series, No. 13. (Pittsburgh: Byzantine Seminary Press, 1979).
- Father Alexander Schmemann. Great Lent. (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1969.)
- Father Basil Shereghy. The Liturgical Year of the Byzantine-Slavonic Rite. (Pittsburgh, PA: Byzantine Seminary Press, 1968.)
- A Monk of the Eastern Church (Father Lev Gilet). The Year of Grace of the Lord. (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2001.)
Quiz
1. Please read the question carefully.
2. Think of an answer.
3. Click to check the answer.
When does the Great Fast begin?
The Great Fast begins on the Monday after Cheesefare or Forgiveness Sunday.
What event is commemorated on the First Sunday of the Great Fast?
The First Sunday of the Great Fast commemorates the restoration of icons to the Church in the 9th century.
Which 5th-century abbot is commemorated on the Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast?
Saint John Climacus, a 5th-century abbot, is commemorated on the Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast.
What happens on the Fifth Saturday of the Great Fast?
The protection of faithful by the Mother of God, with the singing of the Akathist Hymn, is commemorated on the Fifth Saturday of the Great Fast.
What is significant about Clean or Pure Monday?
Clean or Pure Monday, the first day of the Fast, is a day of exceptionally strict fasting.