Whatever calender you use, if you’re Orthodox, this is a fast free week, so that when we eat our ice cream on Wednesday and pizza on Friday we will remember that we sin like the Publican more than we fast like the Pharisee, so we should be humble like the first — and fast like the second.
Next week is the last normal week till after Bright Week. Wednesday and Fridays are fast days but we can have meat the other days.
The next week is Cheese Fare week, when Wednesday and Friday are NOT fast days but we don’t have meat all week in anticipation of the fast.
Then, BAM! Clean Monday comes, and Lent is upon us.
But for this week, enjoy.
A note from Matushka Ann Lardas from a few years back.
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