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eligion When they fast How they fast Why they fast

Baha'i

The Baha'i fast takes

 place during Ala, the19th month of the Baha'

year, from !arch "#"$%

A&stain from food and drinkfrom sunrise to sunset%

To focus on loe of (od and spiritual matter

Buddhist

All the main &ranches of 

Buddhism practice some periods of fasting,

usually on full#moondays and other holidays%

)epending on the Buddhist

tradition, fasting usuallymeans a&staining from solid

food, with some li*uids permitted%

A method of purification% Theraadin and T

Buddhist monks fast as a means of freeing thmind% +ome Ti&etan Buddhist monks fast to

yogic feats, like generating inner heat%

atholic

atholics fast anda&stain from meat on

Ash Wednesday and

(ood -riday, and a&stain

from meat on all -ridaysin .ent% -or many

centuries, atholics were

for&idden to eat meat onall -ridays, &ut since the

mid#19/$s, a&stainingfrom meat on -ridaysoutside of .ent has &een

a matter of local

discretion%

0n Ash Wednesday and (ood

-riday, two small meals andone regular meal are allowed

meat is for&idden% 0n -ridays

in .ent, no meat is allowed%-or the optional -riday fast,

some people su&stitute adifferent penance or special

 prayer instead of fasting%

Teaches control of fleshly desires, penance f

sins, and solidarity with the poor% The .ente

 prepares the soul for a great feast &y practiciausterity% The (ood -riday fast commemora

the day hrist suffered%

2astern0rthodo3

There are seeral fast periods, including .ent,

Apostles' -ast,

)ormition -ast, and the 4atiity -ast, and

seeral one#day fasts%2ery Wednesday and-riday is considered a

fast day, e3cept those

that fall duringdesignated 5fast#free

weeks%5

6n general, meat, dairy

 products, and eggs are prohi&ited% -ish is prohi&ited

on some fast days and allowedon others%

+trengthens resistance to gluttony helps ope person to (od's grace%

Hindu

-asting is commonly practiced on 4ew !oon

days and during festials

such as +hiaratri,+araswati 7u8a, and

)urga 7u8a also known

as 4aaratri:% Women in 4orth 6ndia also fast on

the day of ;ara hauth% 

)epends on the indiidual%

-asting may inole "< hoursof complete a&stinence fromany food or drink, &ut is more

often an elimination of solid

foods, with an occasionaldrink of milk or water%

A way to enhance concentration duringmeditation or worship purification for the

system sometimes considered a sacrifice%

=ewish >om ;ippur, the )ay of

Atonement, is the &est#known fast day% The

=ewish calendar has si3

0n >om ;ippur and Tisha

B'A, eating and drinking arefor&idden for a "?#hour

 period, from sundown to

Atonement for sins and@or special re*uests t

(od%

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other fast days as well,

including Tisha B'A, theday on which the

destruction of the =ewish

Temple took place%

sundown% 0n the other fast

days, eating and drinking arefor&idden only from sunrise to

sundown%

!ormon

The first +unday of each

month is a fast day%

6ndiiduals, families, or

wards may hold otherfasts at will%

A&staining from food anddrink for two consecutie

meals and donating food or

money to the needy% After the

fast, church mem&ers participate in a 5fast and

testimony meeting%5

loseness to (od concentration on (od and

religion% 6ndiidual or family fasts might &e

to petition for a specific cause, such as heali

for one who is sick or help with making adifficult decision%

!uslim

Ramadan, the ninth

month of the !uslimcalendar, is a mandatory

fasting period that

commemorates the period when the ur'an

was first reealed to

7rophet !uhammad%arious !uslim customs

recommend days and

 periods of fasting in

addition to Ramadan%

A&stain from food, drink,smoking, profane language,

and se3ual intercourse from

 &efore the &reak of dawn until

sunset for the entire month%

+ome !uslims fast eery !onday some sa

Thursday: &ecause 7rophet !uhammad wasto do this, and some fast during the month o

+ha'&aan, which precedes Ramadan, and

especially during the three days leading up tRamadan%

7agan

 4o organiCed fast days,

 &ut some pagans choose

to fast in preparation for

0stara +pring 2*uino3:%

At the discretion of the

indiidual##some totally

a&stain from food, othersreduce how much they eat%

6ntended to purify a person energetically of

used to raise i&rational leels as preparation

magical work% 0stara fasting is used to cleanoneself from heaier winter foods%

7rotestant

2angelical:

At the discretion ofindiiduals, churches,

organiCations, or

communities%

Though some people a&stain

from food or drink entirely,

others drink only water or 8uice, eat only certain foods,

skip certain meals, or a&stain

from temptations, edi&le ornot%

2angelical fasts hae &ecome increasingly popular in recent years, with people fasting spiritual nourishment, solidarity with

impoerished people, a counter&alance to

modern consumer culture, or to petition (od

special needs%

7rotestant!ainline:

 4ot a ma8or part of the

tradition, &ut fasts can &e

held at the discretion ofcommunities, churches,

other groups, andindiiduals%

)iscretion of those fasting%

-or spiritual improement or to adance a

 political or social#8ustice agenda% 0ne e3ampthe 2.A's 5ampaign of 7rayer, -asting, a

igils%5