Duration of Lent

The length of your fasting depends on the type of fasting and, if applicable, your religious affiliation. A time of abstaining from food and other things exists in every world religion – however, the timing and duration of the fasting period differ.

Hildegards Tipp:

• A Set of 7 Popular Products for Fasting
• A recipe based on 800 years of monastic knowledge
• Used by 4,000 alternative practitioners
• The Best in Natural Medicine: Organic & Vegan

From Ash Wednesday to Easter, the religious fasting of Christians is observed. This spans over seven weeks. Sundays are not counted, but Good Friday and Holy Saturday are, which is why the actual duration of the fasting period is 40 days. What is fasted is no longer strictly prescribed today. The church has been initiating the campaign "7 Weeks Without," where you can decide for yourself what you want to abstain from.

As one of the five pillars of Islam, fasting (Arabic Saum) holds a high status in this world religion. Muslims fast for 30 days in the ninth month of the Islamic lunar year, Ramadan. Between sunrise and sunset, they are not allowed to eat, drink, or smoke. In the evening, they come together to break the fast, making the time familial and communal.

Since Buddha rejected extremes, he taught the middle way. There are no strict fasting rules in Buddhism; however, abstaining from food is considered beneficial for meditation. Therefore, Buddhist monks occasionally fast starting at 12 noon.

There are six important Jewish fasting days. Yom Kippur, the great day of atonement and fasting, is probably the most well-known. The duration of the fasting period here, as in Islam, is from sunrise to sunset. Through fasting, Jews commemorate tragic and significant events in their religious community.

Hildegard of Bingen also recommended fasting as a beneficial method for our digestive tract and the body as a whole. According to her, the duration of the fasting period is between three and seven days. You can apply her fasting recommendation several times a year. Our BitterKraft! supports you in this.