#ajunat

• Fasted — Having fasted (completely or restrictively) on the eve of a holiday; a person who has abstained from food and drink according to religious ordinances. In a broad and regional sense, the term can also describe the state of someone who has not yet eaten anything since morning (on an empty stomach), being prepared for Holy Communion, medical tests, or traditional rituals.
• Female faster — A woman who fasts (completely or restrictively) on the eve of a major holiday; by extension, as an adjective, it describes a female person or a community of women who strictly observe the rules of spiritual purification through abstinence from food. In old rural traditions, certain elderly women were considered ritualistic fasters, praying and fasting for the well-being of the entire community or for the healing of the sick.
• Male faster — A man who fasts or keeps a strict fast on the eve of an important holiday; as an adjective, relating to the person who fasts or to the practices connected with fasting on an eve. In a theological and archaic sense, it describes the believer who takes upon himself the ascetic effort of total dietary restraint as preparation for a sacred event.