#fasting
- To fast on the eve — To fast (completely or restrictively) on the day or period preceding a major religious holiday; to abstain totally or partially from food and drink as an act of spiritual purification. In a broad sense, to spend time in a state of pious anticipation, respecting the traditional rules imposed on the eve of a solemn or sacred event.
- Vigil fasting — The act of fasting on an eve and its result; total or partial abstinence from food and drink on the day preceding a major Christian holiday, as a form of penance, spiritual purification, and ascetic preparation. This religious custom is deeply rooted in Orthodox and Catholic liturgy, being considered a personal sacrifice aimed at enhancing prayer.
- Aliturgical — Non-liturgical, wherein the Holy Liturgy is not celebrated, or lacking a liturgical character. In Orthodox liturgical tradition, the term describes specific fast days during Lent or Good Friday when the celebration of the Divine Liturgy is strictly forbidden.
- Ascesis — The voluntary, systematic, and persistent effort of spiritual perfection through rigorous exercises of mortification of desires, fasting, prayer, and self-imposed deprivations. It represents a fundamental practical method in the world's great religions and ascetic systems, aiming to free the soul from the dominance of biological instincts and achieve mystical union with the divine.