The Nativity Fast is the forty days of preparation for Christmas. On the New Calendar it runs from November 15 to December 24; on the Old Calendar from November 28 to January 6. Below is every day of the 2026 fast, on both calendars, ready to print for your family, your Sunday school or your parish bulletin.
These are the guidelines of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the same rules the Orthodox Calendar app uses. Practice differs between churches and parishes: many Slavic and monastic communities keep the fast more strictly. Follow your priest's guidance, and talk to him about any rule for health, pregnancy, age or work.
New Calendar: November 15 to December 24, 2026
For parishes on the Revised Julian (New) Calendar, including the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the OCA.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15Fish, wine and oil | 16Fish, wine and oil | 17Fish, wine and oil | 18Strict fast | 19Fish, wine and oil | 20Strict fast | 21Fish, wine and oilEntry of the Theotokos |
| 22Fish, wine and oil | 23Fish, wine and oil | 24Fish, wine and oil | 25Strict fastSt. Catherine | 26Fish, wine and oil | 27Strict fast | 28Fish, wine and oil |
| 29Fish, wine and oil | 30Fish, wine and oilSt. Andrew | Dec 1Fish, wine and oil | 2Strict fast | 3Fish, wine and oil | 4Strict fastSt. Barbara | 5Fish, wine and oil |
| 6Fish, wine and oilSt. Nicholas | 7Fish, wine and oil | 8Fish, wine and oil | 9Strict fast | 10Fish, wine and oil | 11Strict fast | 12Fish, wine and oilSt. Spyridon |
| 13Fish, wine and oilSunday of the Forefathers | 14Fish, wine and oil | 15Fish, wine and oil | 16Strict fast | 17Fish, wine and oil | 18Strict fast | 19Wine and oil |
| 20Wine and oilSunday before the Nativity | 21Strict fast | 22Strict fast | 23Strict fast | 24Strict fastEve of the Nativity |
- F = Fish, wine and oil
- W = Wine and oil
- S = Strict fast: no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil
14 strict days, 2 wine-and-oil days, 24 days with fish, wine and oil.
Feasts and Sundays during the fast
- Sat, Nov 21 Entry of the Theotokos: fish, wine and oil
- Wed, Nov 25 St. Catherine: strict fast
- Mon, Nov 30 St. Andrew: fish, wine and oil
- Fri, Dec 4 St. Barbara: strict fast
- Sun, Dec 6 St. Nicholas: fish, wine and oil
- Sat, Dec 12 St. Spyridon: fish, wine and oil
- Sun, Dec 13 Sunday of the Forefathers: fish, wine and oil
- Sun, Dec 20 Sunday before the Nativity: wine and oil
- Thu, Dec 24 Eve of the Nativity: strict fast
Free printable from orthodoxcalendar.net/guides/nativity-fast-calendar/ · Orthodox Calendar app: fast days, saints and name days
Old Calendar: November 28, 2026 to January 6, 2027
For parishes on the Julian (Old) Calendar. The church dates are the same; they fall 13 days later on the civil calendar, and the Nativity is kept on January 7.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 28Fish, wine and oil | ||||||
| 29Fish, wine and oil | 30Fish, wine and oil | Dec 1Fish, wine and oil | 2Strict fast | 3Fish, wine and oil | 4Fish, wine and oilEntry of the Theotokos | 5Fish, wine and oil |
| 6Fish, wine and oil | 7Fish, wine and oil | 8Fish, wine and oilSt. Catherine | 9Strict fast | 10Fish, wine and oil | 11Strict fast | 12Fish, wine and oil |
| 13Fish, wine and oilSt. Andrew | 14Fish, wine and oil | 15Fish, wine and oil | 16Strict fast | 17Fish, wine and oilSt. Barbara | 18Strict fast | 19Fish, wine and oilSt. Nicholas |
| 20Fish, wine and oil | 21Fish, wine and oil | 22Fish, wine and oil | 23Strict fast | 24Fish, wine and oil | 25Strict fastSt. Spyridon | 26Fish, wine and oil |
| 27Fish, wine and oilSunday of the Forefathers | 28Fish, wine and oil | 29Fish, wine and oil | 30Strict fast | 31Strict fast | Jan 1Strict fast | 2Wine and oil |
| 3Wine and oilSunday before the Nativity | 4Strict fast | 5Strict fast | 6Strict fastEve of the Nativity |
- F = Fish, wine and oil
- W = Wine and oil
- S = Strict fast: no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil
13 strict days, 2 wine-and-oil days, 25 days with fish, wine and oil.
Feasts and Sundays during the fast
- Fri, Dec 4 Entry of the Theotokos (church date Nov 21): fish, wine and oil
- Tue, Dec 8 St. Catherine (church date Nov 25): fish, wine and oil
- Sun, Dec 13 St. Andrew (church date Nov 30): fish, wine and oil
- Thu, Dec 17 St. Barbara (church date Dec 4): fish, wine and oil
- Sat, Dec 19 St. Nicholas (church date Dec 6): fish, wine and oil
- Fri, Dec 25 St. Spyridon (church date Dec 12): strict fast
- Sun, Dec 27 Sunday of the Forefathers (church date Dec 14): fish, wine and oil
- Sun, Jan 3 Sunday before the Nativity (church date Dec 21): wine and oil
- Wed, Jan 6 Eve of the Nativity (church date Dec 24): strict fast
Free printable from orthodoxcalendar.net/guides/nativity-fast-calendar/ · Orthodox Calendar app: fast days, saints and name days
How the Nativity Fast is kept
The fast is sometimes called St. Philip's Fast, because it begins the day after his feast on November 14. In the Greek practice it has two parts.
- November 15 to December 17: fish, wine and olive oil are allowed, except on Wednesdays and Fridays, which are kept strictly. The Entry of the Theotokos on November 21 is a feast with fish whatever day it falls on.
- December 18 to 23: the fast tightens. Weekdays are strict, and wine and oil are allowed on Saturday and Sunday.
- December 24, the Eve of the Nativity: a strict fast day, usually until the evening service.
Meat, dairy and eggs are not eaten at any point in the fast. From December 25 to January 4 (the Twelve Days) all foods are allowed. On the Old Calendar the same church dates apply, 13 days later on the civil calendar, so the Nativity is kept on January 7. The full year is in the Orthodox fasting calendar.
For parishes and Sunday schools
You are welcome to print this calendar and copy it for your bulletin, your Sunday school or your parish hall. Each printed page fits on one sheet, carries the address of this page, and works in black and white as well as in colour: every day is marked with its rule in words as well as by colour.
How the Orthodox Calendar app helps
Orthodox Calendar shows each morning whether today is a fast day and what is permitted, using the same rules as this calendar, on the New or Old Calendar. It also lists today's saints and the people in your contacts who have a name day. For your personal rule, talk to your priest.
Related guides
- The Orthodox Fasting Calendar for 2026, 2027 and 2028
Orthodox fasting dates for 2026, 2027 and 2028: Great Lent, the Apostles', Dormition and Nativity fasts, strict fast days and fast-free weeks.
- Old Calendar vs. New Calendar: Why Orthodox Christmas Can Fall on January 7
Why some Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7: the Julian vs. Revised Julian calendars, which churches use which, and the 13-day difference.
- Feast Days of the Orthodox Church: Pascha, the Twelve Great Feasts, and the Ranks of Saints
The feast days of the Orthodox Church: Pascha, the Twelve Great Feasts with their dates, and the ranks of saints — Apostle, Martyr, Venerable, and more.
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