Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ Cycle - Preparation - The Pre-Nativity Fast

Fasting and Feasting Period
Action	Name	Time
Fast	Pre-Nativity Fast	40-days Traditional Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of 15 November on 14 November evening Ends just before Vespers of Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ (25 December) on 24 December evening Shorter number of days Modern Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of 10 December on 9 December evening Ends just before Vespers of Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ (25 December) on 24 December evening
Feast	Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ	40-days Begins at the beginning of Vespers of Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ (25 December) on 24 December evening Ends just before Vespers on the Great Feast of Holy Hypapanty of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ and the Great Feast of the Purification of The Theotokos (2 February) on 1 February evening 1-day of fasting in this period The Paramony of The Great Feast of Holy Theophany of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ancient Traditional Practice

The Pre-Nativity Fast is Forty Days. The Fast begins at the beginning of the Vespers of the Feast of St. Philip the Apostle (15 November), on 14 November evening. Then, this Fast is popularly called "The Philip Fast". The fasting ends just before Vespers of the Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ (25 December) on 24 December evening.

Modern Practice

The fast begins at the beginning of the Vespers of 10 December, on the Feast of the Conception of Ancester of Christ Ann, December 9 evening. The fasting ends just before Vespers of the Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ (25 December) on 24 December evening.
The reason to begin this fast on December 10 is the many popular feast days between November 14 and December 9.

The Pre-Nativity Fast is a period of deepened prayer and penance by which we prepare for the coming Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ and Holy Theophany. Also, it is important to include going to Holy Confession, reading the prophecies of the Holy Prophets, doing acts of charity, such as alms-giving.

Fasting Guidelines

Paramony of the Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ

24 December - The Paramony of Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, is the final preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ. In the West, this feast is called Christmas Eve. This day is a strict fast day.

When The Paramony of the Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ falls on a Saturday or on a Sunday, the fasting is done on the previous Friday. The only time that fasting is done on a Saturday is Great and Holy Saturday. Fasting is never done on a Sunday.

Fasting
Definition	We CAN	We should NOT
When can eat	Eat from noon to midnight	Eat from midnight to noon
How much can eat	Eat one meal each day Monday to Friday	Eat more than one meal Eat in between meals Monday to Friday

Abstinence
Eat/Drink	Food/Beverages	We CAN	We should NOT
Eat	"Vegaterian". Plants (fruits, grains, legumes (beans), vegetables, nuts, and fruits, etc.) Invertebrates creatures without a spine /backbone (sponges, hydroids, anemones, jellyfish, gorgonains, sea pen, sea fan, worms, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, sea lily, etc.)	All the time.
	"Vegan". NO Products from a vertebrate creatures with a spine / backbone (mammals, birds, fish, etc.) Milk, eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. ("dairy products" in the United States)	All the time.
	Fish	Saturday and Sunday (NOT Paramony of Nativity of Jesus Christ Paramony of Feast of Theophany of Jesus Christ Feast of Exaltation of Cross)	Paramony of Nativity of Jesus Christ Paramony of Feast of Theophany of Jesus Christ Feast of Exaltation Cross
	Olive oil	Saturday and Sunday (NOT Paramony of Nativity of Jesus Christ Paramony of Feast of Theophany of Jesus Christ Feast of Exaltation of Cross)	Paramony of Nativity of Jesus Christ Paramony of Feast of Theophany of Jesus Christ Feast of Exaltation Cross
	"Flesh" (skin and meat) Vertebrate which is an animal with a spine / backbone (mammals, birds, fish {tuna, shark, bass, sardines, etc.}, etc.) Shellfish		All the time.
	Products from a vertebrate creatures with a spine / backbone (mammals, birds, fish, etc.) Milk, eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. ("dairy products" in the United States)		All the time.
Drink	Water	All the time.
	Unfermented fruit juice	All the time.
	Wine	Saturday and Sunday (NOT Paramony of Nativity of Jesus Christ Paramony of Feast of Theophany of Jesus Christ Feast of Exaltation of Cross)	Paramony of Nativity of Jesus Christ Paramony of Feast of Theophany of Jesus Christ Feast of Exaltation Cross
	Alcoholic beverages.		All the time.

Nativity Celebrations

The appropriate time for parties and other secular celebrations is after the Feast of the Nativity of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Fasting is forbidden from The Great Feast of Nativity of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ until 5 January, the Paramony of the Great Feast of Holy Theophany of Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

More Information

Pre-Nativity Fast Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States

Preparation
Day	Commemorate	Date	Day of Prepar- ation	Apostolos	Gospel
Feast St. Philip Apostle	St. Philip Apostle	14 Nov.		Acts 8:26-39	Jn. 1:43-51
Pre-Nativity Fast Ancient Begins	Philip Fast	Begins 15 Nov.	1	1 Tim. 4:4-8, 16	Lk. 16:15-18 17:1-4
Conception Anne	Maternity Anne	9 Dec.	25	Gal. 4:22-27	Lk.8:16-21
Pre-Nativity Fast Modern Begins	Philip Fast	Begins 10 Dec.	26 or 1	Heb. 9:8-23	Mk. 8:22-26
Sunday before Nativity	Sunday Genealogy	Between 18 and 24		Heb. 11:9-10 32-40	Mt. 1:1-25
Preparation Nativity	Holy Hieromartyr Ignatios, God-Bearer	20	36 or 11	James 2:1-13	Mk. 10:23b-32a
Second Day Preparation	Holy Martyr Juliana Nicomedia	21	37 or 12	Gal. 3:8-11	Lk. 13:19-29
Third Day Preparation	Holy Great Martyr Anastasia	22	38 or 13	Gal. 3:8-11	Lk. 13:19-29
Fourth Day Preparation	Ten Holy Great Martyrs Crete	23	39 or 14	James 2:14-26	Mk. 10:46-52
Paramony Royal Hours		24	40 or 15	Many	Many
Paramony Nativity	Holy Woman Martyr Eugenia	24	40 or 15	Heb. 1:1-12	Lk. 2:1-20
Pre-Nativity Fast Ends	Philip Fast	Ends just before Vespers on 24 December evening	40 or 15

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles), Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck), and Donna (Donna Bertha Liles Campbell). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000, Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001, and Donna fell asleep in the Lord on March 9, 2020.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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