“Fasting is not a new invention, but a treasure received fem the Fathers.  All that is ancient is worthy of praise.  Respect the antiquity of fasting!  It is as old as man himself.”  (St. Basil, On Fasting I)

The Great Holy Fast, called also the Forty Days Fast, is one of the oldest and most sacred Christian practices.  The history of the Great Fast is long and rich in tradition, dating from Apostolic times.  The pre-paschal fast is called Great, not only because of its duration but also because of its significance in the life of the Church and of every Christian.

The Fathers of the Church have the greatest respect and the highest praises for the holy fast.  Regarding its antiquity, St. Basil (329-379) wrote:  “Allow me again to appeal to history and to recall that fasting is very old and that all the saints observed it as though it were an inheritance from parents, transmitted from father to son.   Thus did this treasure come down to us as an unbroken tradition.”  (On Fasting I)