Fasting in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
I’m super stoked to share this week’s piece on the Black Expat Family blog. In light of the upcoming Fast of Filseta that is observed during the month of August by Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, I asked Deacon Solomon Kibriye to guest blog on a topic that’s always been fascinating to me: fasting & religion. Namely, I wanted to know what it is, why people observe it, and what its significance is.
Below, Deacon Kibriye writes about fasting in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church —one of the largest religious groups in Ethiopia— and explains its significance. If you know anything about Ethiopia, you’ll know what a significant and central part religion plays in the country’s rich culture and history. And if you’ve followed Deacon Kibriye’s work, you’ll know that he’s not only a Deacon but also a historian, a podcast host (podcast name: Tarik Amba, look it up!), and a brilliant writer and an engaging teacher. Check out his piece, and share your thoughts on this week’s piece our Instagram page.
Fasting in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church: The Why and How
by Deacon Solomon Kibriye
I was recently asked to drop a few words about the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition of fasting, particularly Lent. I will try to keep preachiness to a minimum.
As most of our Habesha community is familiar with, Ethiopian and other Oriental and Eastern Orthodox Christians abstain from all animal products during fasts. The purpose of abstaining from these foods is to focus our thoughts and feelings on God and live a worthy life by suppressing the desires of the flesh. Foods such as meat, eggs, dairy, etc are regarded as "heat generating" and are believed to cause a strengthening of bodily wants and desires which are more likely to distract from spiritual focus. Grains and vegetables are seen as "cooling" foods and thus an aid in denying our flesh in favor of our spirit. Fish has proven to be a point of disagreement with some saying that as a cold blooded creature it is allowed while others vehemently disagree. The faithful are also encouraged to eat less during fasts and focus on the spirit over the body. Of course, fasting is not just about what and how much one eats. While restricting the types of food and amount of food consumed during Lent is an outward act, the faithful are taught that it is not just our stomachs that should fast, but our tongues, our hearts and minds as well. We are admonished to perform acts of charity and kindness, and to keep away from unkind and unholy deeds, words, and thoughts. We are told to look inward on ones shortcomings, forgive others and shed grudges, seek forgiveness from others for one’s own transgressions, and plead for God's mercy. Above all, the faithful are asked to pray more, to give thanks for what God has granted them, and to seek forgiveness from God for any transgressions. Without these spiritual acts, the physical act of abstaining from certain foods is considered meaningless. During these fasting periods, the Holy Liturgy or Kidase, which is normally held at dawn, is instead held at noon from Monday to Friday. As people are expected to not consume any food or drink before attending Holy Liturgy, observant people do not consume anything before the Liturgy is over, generally mid-afternoon. On Saturday and Sunday though, the Holy Liturgy is held at dawn as is usual during non-fasting periods.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church recognizes seven official fasts. They are the Fast of the Prophets, (also known as Ye Genna Tsom or Christmas Fast) ; the Fast of Nineveh (known as Tsome Nenewe), Great Lent (known as Abiy Tsom or Hudade), the Fast of the Apostles (Tsome Hawariat), The fast of Wednesdays and Fridays (Tsome Dehnet), the Fast of the Assumption (Tsome Filseta) and the Fast known as Gahad.
The Fast of the Prophets is known most commonly as “Ye Genna Tsom” or the Fast of Christmas. It is observed during the 40 day period before Christmas, which among most Eastern and Oriental Orthodox faithful is observed on the Gregorian calendar date of January 7. It commemorates the Old Testament Prophets and the fasts and prayers they observed in anticipation of the birth of the Massaiah. The fast is broken immediately after midnight Liturgy on Christmas morning is completed.
The Fast of Nineveh, or Tsome Nenewe, is a three day fast observed two weeks before Great Lent. This fast always begins on a Monday and extends through Wednesday. It commemorates the three days that the Prophet Jonah (Yonas) spent in the belly of the great fish, and the subsequent fast and repentance of the people of the city of Nineveh who were warned of the impending destruction of their city by God because of their many sins. This fast and repentance by the people of Nineveh caused God to be merciful and forgiving, and he refrained from destroying the city.
Great Lent is the longest of the fasts in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Ethiopians have different names for it. The most commonly used name is Abiye Tsom or Great Fast, because it is the longest. In Beghemidir, Tigrai, and Gojjam, it is also often called Tsome Iyesus, or Fast of Jesus. In Tigrai it is also sometimes called Tsome Arba, for the core 40 days that Christ fasted. In Shewa it is often called Hudade, as it coincides with the time of year that the people were once expected to help work the hudad class of land belonging to the King of Shewa to benefit the poor. Ethiopia observes the longest fasting period for Lent of all other Churches. Like the others we observe the 40 days that Christ fasted in the desert and was tested by Satan before he set out on his mission. Added on to these 40 days are the 6 days of Holy Week between Christ’s arrival in triumph to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and his crucifixion on Good Friday. There are also an additional 10 days at the beginning of the fast that Ethiopians observed that are not observed in many other churches. This additional fasting period added onto Lent was proclaimed by the Byzantine Emperor Hereaclus (Ethiopians call him Heracleos) who asked all Christians to fast an extra 10 days before he set out in battle to recover the Holy Cross which had been carried off from Jerusalem by the Persians. He was successful, and although other Christians no longer observe this fast, Ethiopians, Eritreans and the Copts of Egypt continue to do so. Holy Week, or Himamat , begins with Palm Sunday or Hossana, when Christ entered Jerusalem acclaimed as the Son of David. Monday marks the day he cast out the merchants and money changers from the Temple, and cursed the fig tree. Wednesday is the day of the betrayal of Christ, when Judas Iscariot and the Sanhedrin (council of Jewish priests) plotted to sieze Christ. Thursday is the day of the Last Supper when Christ said "this is my flesh" and "this is my blood" instituting the Holy Communion and the rite of the Holy Liturgy or Kidase, as well as the day He washed his Disciples feet to show modesty and humility. It is also on this day that He was seized at Gethsemane while praying. Friday is the day He was crucified, suffered and died, and the day that he was entombed. Saturday is the day his flesh remained in the tomb, or Kidame Shur. All these days of Holy Week are fasting days. Holy Liturgy is held only on Thurday. During the rest of the week solemn services known as “Sigdet” are carried out to mark the suffering of Christ. No Fitat or requiem services are conducted for the dead during this week, and must wait until after Easter Sunday. From Easter Sunday until the Feast of the Pentecost or Paraclete (known as Paraklitos in Ethiopia) which occurs 50 days later, there are no fasts observed as this period is considered the Easter season. The Feast of the Pentecost observed the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, coming down from Heaven upon the Apostles and the Virgin Mary making them speak in many languages and starting them on their mission of spreading the Christian faith. Because Easter is a movable feast, while the length of Great Lent is always constant, the dates of it’s beginning also moves with Easter.
On the Monday after Pentecost Sunday or Paraklitos, the Fast of the Apostles begins. This fast commemorates the fasting and prayers observed by the Holy Apostles before they set out to spread the Christian faith across the world. This fast is often refered to as “Ye Sene Tsom” as it usually takes up most of the month of Sene or June. The fast ends on the Annual Feast Day of the Apostles Peter and Paul (Petros we Paulos) which is held on Hamle 5 (usually July 12 on the Gregorian calendar). Because Easter, and thus the feast of Paraklitos move, and the feast of Peter and Paul is fixed, the length of this fast varies from year to year depending on how early or how late Easter is.
At the same time as the fast of the Apostles, the Tsome Dehenet, or Fast of Wellness, also begins. This fast requires that the faithful fast on every Wednesday and every Friday of the year except during the 50 days between Easter and Paraklitos, and on Christmas or Epiphany if either of these holidays fall on a Wednesday or a Friday. This fast commemorates the betrayal of Christ on Wednesday, and his Crucifixion on Friday.
From the 1st to the 15th of the Month of Nehase (usually August 7 to 21 on the Gregorian Calendar) the Church observes the fast of Filseta which commemorates the fast observed by the Apostles between the Dormition or death of the Holy Virgin Mary, and her Assumption into Heaven. Because Filseta is a relatively short fast, lasting only 15 days, it is traditionally the first fast children are taught to observe, most often around age 7 or so. It culminates on the feast of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin, known in Ethiopia as Kidane Meheret or Covenant of Mercy.
The remaining fast is known as Gahad and is a conditional fast. It is only observed if Christmas or Epiphany occur on a Wednesday or a Friday which are normally fasting days. As these two great Feasts of the Lord must be celebrated as joyous non-fasting days, the day before these holidays are fasted instead as Gahad days.
The point of fasting however, as stated above, is beyond what we put into our bodies. Let me close by some words about fasting that were issued by the great Saint John Chrysostom, who served as Archbishop of Constantinople in the 5th Century and is known in Ethiopia as Kidus Yohannes Afework. He said “Do you fast? Then feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick, do not forget the imprisoned, have pity on the tortured, comfort those who grieve and weep, be merciful, humble, kind, calm, patient, sympathetic, forgiving, reverent, truthful, and pious, so that God might accept your fasting and might plentifully grant you the fruits of repentance.”