Next: about 15 Nov to 24 Dec 2026
The Nativity Fast
Forty days from 15 November to Christmas Eve in the Orthodox Church, with no weddings.
When is The Nativity Fast in 2026?
The Nativity Fast 2026 runs from 15 November to 24 December 2026. The date follows the moon or a local calendar, so it can move by a day. Other years: 2027, 15 November to 24 December 2027; 2028, 15 November to 24 December 2028.
About The Nativity Fast
The Orthodox Nativity Fast runs from 15 November to 24 December, with the Christmas feast on 25 December by the older calendar in Russia, Serbia and Georgia, which falls on 7 January. Weddings are not celebrated, and couples in Romania and Bulgaria therefore marry in October or after Epiphany on 6 January. The fast shapes the calendar of the autumn wedding season, which ends with Pokrov in mid-October. Some churches use the revised calendar and keep the fast on the same dates.
The Nativity Fast dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | The Nativity Fast date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 November to 24 December 2026 |
| 2027 | 15 November to 24 December 2027 |
| 2028 | 15 November to 24 December 2028 |
This date follows the moon or a local calendar and can move by a day, so check with a local source nearer the time.
What is served
- fasting dishes
- beans
- fish on feast days
Also part of it, and being written: Nativity Fast (The fast before the Orthodox Christmas.), Eastern Orthodox Church (The church whose rule this is.).
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background: "Nativity Fast" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.