Great Lent is the longest fast in the church calendar. It begins the day after Bun Barekendan (Good Living Day) and lasts until the eve of the Feast of the Holy Resurrection. This year it starts on February 16.

Although often referred to as the Forty-Day Fast, it actually lasts 48 days. The 40 days symbolize Christ’s forty-day prayer, fasting and repentance in the desert. After His baptism, Jesus “was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and for forty days was tempted by the devil.” The forty-day period is followed by another week of fasting — Holy Week — bringing the total to 48 days.

During the fast, people abstain not only from certain foods but also from harmful habits, excessive talk, lying, profanity and other sins. Repentance, prayer and penance are regarded as the primary conditions for receiving God’s healing and redemptive grace, according to Qahana.am .

Great Lent includes seven Sundays and seven commemorative days: Poon Paregentan, the Expulsion, the Prodigal Son, the Steward, the Judge, the Advent and Palm Sunday.

The fasting period is divided by Mid-Lent, though the fast is not interrupted on that day. According to folk tradition, a special Lenten gata made from unleavened dough is prepared.

Under ancient rules, weddings and animal sacrifice were prohibited during Great Lent. However, by encyclical of Catholicos Vazgen I, weddings may be permitted on Saturdays and Sundays of Lent in cases of urgent necessity, except during Holy Week.

The benefits of fasting have also been highlighted from a medical perspective, especially during this period, as entering spring without fatty and animal-based foods has been considered beneficial for the body. At the same time, it is considered incorrect to view fasting merely as a diet for weight loss or illness prevention. It is not limited to abstaining from animal products but is a process of cleansing from spiritual and moral ailments, addictions, sinful thoughts, words and deeds, returning through repentance to a virtuous life pleasing to God.

Strengthening spiritual gifts, especially brotherly love, is essential during Lent.

Unlike other churches that simply enumerate the seven Sundays of Lent, the Armenian Apostolic Church has given them distinctive names and meanings rooted in Scripture. In this way, a symbolic chain has been formed, reflecting humanity’s life in paradise, the breaking of commandments and fall, the search for God and the entire course of salvation through divine providence.

Great Lent is immediately followed by Holy Week, which includes the most significant events of Christ’s earthly life: the triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), the Last Supper, the Betrayal, the Passion, the Crucifixion, Death, Burial and the glorious Resurrection — Holy Easter.