Talk:Fasting

Great Lent is the period of six weeks following the Lenten Triodion...

I'm wondering about this. Doesn't the Triodion also cover all of Lent? As I look at my copy of The Lenten Triodion by Mo. Maria and Bp. Kallistos, it certainly covers far more than just those three weeks prior to Forgiveness Sunday. --Rdr. Andrew 17:23, 22 Feb 2005 (CST)

You are right. The Triodion is the service book that governs the entire period from the pre-Lenten weeks of preparation, through Greath Lent and Holy Week.DcnDavid 20:37, 22 Feb 2005 (CST)

Is there a heirarchy of foods?

I've only been Orthodox for about 3 years and this is the first Lent that I've really felt I had the strength and discipline to follow the fast strictly. I'm actually finding it a lot easier than I expected, but I have a question about the calendar, which nobody has ever answered for me: is there a heirarchy of foods or not and if so what is it? What I mean is, if my calendar says dairy products are fine, is fish also? - i.e is there a heirarchy like so:

Meat Dairy Fish Wine and oil

Or is each type of food considered separately? I tend to treat fish days as days without dairy and dairy days as days without fish, but I'm not sure if this is correct or not. I realise that the worth of the fast is in its spirit and not following the letter of the law, so to speak, but it would be useful to know what the letter actually is. Whatever the answer, I think it would be useful to see it added to this page because I've found that nothing on the internet appears to cover this. James