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Is today a fast day?

In the Orthodox Church, close to half the year carries some form of the fast. Whether a given day is a fast day — and what kind — comes down to a few clear rules.

Guidelines, not law — your priest’s word comes first. Fasting practice varies by jurisdiction, parish, and person. These pages show the common traditional guideline (the monastic standard most calendars print); where jurisdictions differ, that is a question for your priest, not for an app.
What makes a day a fast day

The shape of the fasting year

Most Wednesdays and Fridays are fast days year-round, in memory of the betrayal and the Crucifixion. On top of that are the four great fasts: Great Lent (the weeks before Pascha), the Apostles’ Fast (early summer), the Dormition Fast (the first two weeks of August), and the Nativity Fast (from mid-November to the Nativity). The fast is lifted entirely in the bright weeks after Pascha and Pentecost, in the days after the Nativity, and on certain great feasts.

The rule also depends on which calendar your parish keeps — the New (Revised Julian) or the Old (Julian), 13 days apart on the fixed feasts. The table below shows both for August 2026.

This month — August 2026

The rule, day by day

This page was built on a fixed date, so the month below is a snapshot. For the exact rule on today’s date — correct for your parish’s calendar, right on your lock screen — the Vigil app answers it live every morning.
DayNew CalendarOld Calendar
1SatWine and oil
the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
2SunWine and oil
the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
3MonStrict fast
the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
4TueStrict fast
the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
5WedStrict fast
the Dormition Fast
A fast day
Wednesday
6ThuFish allowed
Transfiguration of the Lord — during the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
7FriStrict fast
the Dormition Fast
A fast day
Friday
8SatWine and oil
the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
9SunWine and oil
the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
10MonStrict fast
the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
11TueStrict fast
the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
12WedStrict fast
the Dormition Fast
A fast day
Wednesday
13ThuStrict fast
the Dormition Fast
No fast today
No fast today
14FriStrict fast
the Dormition Fast
Strict fast
the Dormition Fast
15SatNo fast today
No fast today
Wine and oil
the Dormition Fast
16SunNo fast today
No fast today
Wine and oil
the Dormition Fast
17MonNo fast today
No fast today
Strict fast
the Dormition Fast
18TueNo fast today
No fast today
Strict fast
the Dormition Fast
19WedA fast day
Wednesday
Fish allowed
Transfiguration of the Lord — during the Dormition Fast
20ThuNo fast today
No fast today
Strict fast
the Dormition Fast
21FriA fast day
Friday
Strict fast
the Dormition Fast
22SatNo fast today
No fast today
Wine and oil
the Dormition Fast
23SunNo fast today
No fast today
Wine and oil
the Dormition Fast
24MonNo fast today
No fast today
Strict fast
the Dormition Fast
25TueNo fast today
No fast today
Strict fast
the Dormition Fast
26WedA fast day
Wednesday
Strict fast
the Dormition Fast
27ThuNo fast today
No fast today
Strict fast
the Dormition Fast
28FriA fast day
Friday
Fish allowed
Dormition of the Theotokos — during Friday
29SatWine and oil
Beheading of St. John the Forerunner
No fast today
No fast today
30SunNo fast today
No fast today
No fast today
No fast today
31MonNo fast today
No fast today
No fast today
No fast today
No fastDairy allowedFish allowedWine & oilFast dayStrict fast
Full August 2026 calendar →All months →
Coming soon to iPhone

Know what today asks of you.

Today’s fasting rule on your lock screen. Morning and evening prayers from the Church’s own books. Every feast, on your parish’s calendar — old or new. Free to start; Vigil+ from $2.99/mo or $39.99 once, yours forever.

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