March 7 is the beginning of Great Lent the most important fasting season in Syriac Orthodox Church. Like Lent in the Western church, it takes place during the six weeks before Easter. Unlike in the Western church, the Orthodox calendar counts Lent as the 48 consecutive days before Easter, not excluding Sundays.
Great Lent is the best time to be a vegetarian. In Kerala, nearly every restaurant has a Lenten menu, and meat isn’t the only thing missing from these dishes. The fasting rules of Orthodoxy are derived from the monastic rules for fasting, and during Lent, Orthodox believers are to abstain from eating all meat and dairy products and, on most days, from using olive oil and alcohol, although these things are allowed on Sundays and some other days. Fish is also occasionally allowed.
Lent is a time when Orthodox believers are nourished by prayer and reflection rather than by food. Lent is an opportunity to free ourselves from the sinful desires and urges of our fallen nature, and to nourish our souls with prayer and repentance. Restricting food choices is intended to give believers more time to focus on spiritual matters.
