The Nativity Fast will begin this year on Sunday, 15 November. During the 40 days of preparation for Christmas, Orthodox Christians will have 14 days when fish is permitted, according to the Church calendar.
Throughout this period, the Church encourages the faithful to intensify their prayers, attend religious services and perform acts of charity, combining dietary abstinence with care for their neighbours.
The Nativity Fast, also known as the Christmas Fast, is one of the four major fasting periods of the Orthodox liturgical year and represents a time of spiritual preparation for the feast of the Nativity of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
The final day of fasting is 24 December, Christmas Eve, when the faithful prepare to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord.
Days when fish is permitted in 2026
The Nativity Fast is less strict in terms of dietary restrictions than Great Lent, with Church regulations allowing fish on several days.
According to the Orthodox calendar for 2026, these are:
- November: 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30.
- December: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 19.
The first day when fish is permitted is 21 November, when the Orthodox Church celebrates the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple.
Saints commemorated during this period
Important feast days during the Nativity Fast include St Andrew the Apostle, the patron saint of Romania, on 30 November, and St Nicholas the Wonderworker on 6 December.
The Church will also commemorate two Romanian holy women canonised by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2025: St Anastasia, the mother of St Andrew Șaguna, on 1 December, and St Eulogia the Nun-Martyr of Samurcășești, on 19 December.
The Nativity Fast recalls the expectation of the Saviour’s coming and calls Christians to prepare for this feast through repentance, prayer and good deeds.
Old Calendar Nativity Fast
Orthodox Churches and communities that follow the unrevised Julian calendar observe the Nativity Fast from 28 November 2026 through 6 January 2027, according to the civil (Gregorian) calendar.
These dates correspond to 15 November–24 December in the Julian calendar; Christmas is celebrated on 7 January in the Gregorian calendar. The fast lasts 40 days, as it does in Churches that follow the revised calendar, though the days on which fish is permitted may vary by local liturgical tradition.
Photo credit: BASILICA / Raluca-Emanuela Ene
