Fasting

This is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from food, drink, or certain activities for a specific period of time, with deep religious, spiritual, and ritual significance across cultures worldwide. Fasting is practiced in various forms in most major religions and is used as a means of purifying the body and soul, expressing repentance, humility, devotion to God, and preparing for important spiritual events. In Christianity, fasting plays a key role, especially in Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican traditions, with extended fasting periods such as Lent before Easter, during which believers abstain from meat, dairy, and entertainment. In Islam, the obligatory fast during the month of Ramadan requires total abstinence from food, drink, and other worldly pleasures from dawn to sunset and is seen as an act of spiritual cleansing and submission to Allah. In Judaism, Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av are days of complete fasting accompanied by prayer and repentance. In Buddhism and Hinduism, fasting is practiced as part of ascetic discipline and concentration, as well as a path to karmic purification. Among many Indigenous peoples, fasting is used as preparation for vision quests or rites of passage. Fasting can be partial or complete, long or short, individual or communal, strict or symbolic. This practice involves not only physical abstinence but also inner work on oneself, strengthening willpower, mindfulness, and spiritual discipline. Fasting serves as a tool for re-evaluating values, strengthening faith, and deepening connection with the divine.