Overview:
An ancient spiritual practice, fasting can range from rejecting food and water to giving up a favorite TV show during the 40 days of Lent. Along with prayer and reading of Scripture, the self-denial in Christianity is part of a spiritual cleansing ritual mirroring Christ's crucifixion and suffering on the cross.
Given Christianity’s cultural influence in the United States, most people recognize Lent as the 40-day season leading up to Easter. For many Christians, it’s the time of year when believers give up something pleasurable — chocolate, alcohol or red meat — as an act of spiritual discipline.
The truly devoted, however, also choose to fast, abstaining from food, water, or both, as part of their journey towards Easter’s spiritual renewal.
If you’re considering fasting for Lent, you may have questions: What kind of fast should you choose? Give up food, a special activity or a creature comfort? If it’s food, should one include or exclude water? When should the fast take place?
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Here’s a simple guide to understanding Lent, fasting, and the different ways Christians observe the season.
Prayer and Fasting
Although Lent is familiar to most Christians, the practice of fasting — usually defined as the avoidance of consuming food for a prescribed amount of time — and prayer are traditions in other faiths. It is an annual feature of Ramadan, Islam’s holy month of worship, but it’s also a tradition in Buddhism. Hinduism, and Taoism.
The idea is to eliminate, if relatively briefly, anything that could distract from the discipline required for the spiritual journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The goal is to replace it with the strength and belief to endure.
Generally, faith leaders teach congregants that some failures to abide by Christ’s teachings can be remedied only through prayer and fasting. In Christianity, fasting generally falls into four, mostly self-explanatory categories: total, dry, intermittent and sanctified.
Types of Fasting During Lent
Total fasting is abstaining from all food for a period of time, while dry fasting means abstaining from food and water. Intermittent fasting requires maintaining a strict schedule of meal times, while sanctified fasting allows one meal each day after 6 p.m.
Then there’s the decision whether to take on an individual fast, where one sacrifices on one’s own, or a corporate fast, where a faith family or community endures the fast together.
Giving Something Up for Lent
Sometimes, faithful Christians can’t or would prefer not to give up food for a period of time. An alternative show of sacrifice and devotion is to sacrifice certain favorite foods, nettlesome habits or pleasurable activities during Lent.
That means 40 days without chocolate, or wine. Some use the time to quit smoking, or cursing, or eating fast food. It could be 40 days without shopping, except for essentials. Some choose to sacrifice social media; others deny themselves television shows or movies.
Adding Meaningful Practices During Lent
Some Christians approach Lent by adding meaningful practices rather than subtracting comforts.
That could include spending more time in prayer, journaling daily, volunteering in the community or intentionally reconnecting with family and loved ones.
Whether through fasting, sacrifice or intentional growth, Lent remains a personal and communal journey toward Easter. For many believers, the meaning of the season lies less in what is given up and more in what is gained: clarity, renewal and deeper faith.