On November 28, Orthodox Christians enter the Nativity Fast, preparing themselves to celebrate Christ’s Nativity through fasting and prayer.

The Nativity Fast begins on November 15 (November 28, according to the new calendar) and continues through December 24 (January 6), lasting forty days. For this reason, it is referred to in the Church Typikon as the Forty-Day Fast, just like Great Lent. The fast begins on the feast of the Holy Apostle Philip, which is why it is often called Philip’s Fast. However, the Nativity Fast is less strict than Great Lent—on Saturdays, Sundays, and the days of polyeleos-ranked feasts, fish is permitted at the table.

Like other multi-day fasts, the Nativity Fast’s institution dates back to the early Christian period. As early as the fourth century, St. Ambrose of Milan, St. Philastrius, and Blessed Augustine mention the Nativity Fast in their writings.

Initially, the duration of the Nativity Fast varied: some Christians observed it for seven days, while others kept it longer. At the Council of 1166, held during the tenure of Patriarch Luke of Constantinople and Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, all Christians were prescribed to observe a forty-day fast before the great feast of the Nativity of Christ.

St. Leo the Great writes, “The very observance of abstinence is marked by the four seasons, so that throughout the year we may understand our continual need for purification and that amidst life’s distractions, we must always strive through fasting and almsgiving to eradicate sin, which increases due to the frailty of the flesh and impurity of desires.” According to St. Leo the Great, the Nativity Fast is an offering to God in gratitude for the harvest: “As the Lord has blessed us with the fruits of the earth, so we, during this fast, must be generous to the poor.”

Let us cleanse ourselves for the day of the Nativity of Christ through repentance, prayer, and fasting so that with pure hearts, souls, and bodies, we may reverently greet the Son of God, who appeared in the world. And beyond the usual gifts and offerings, let us present to Him our pure hearts and our desire to follow His teachings.