Ethiopian Fasting Calendarየጾም ቀናት

The fasting seasons

Tsome Nebiyat (ጾመ ነቢያት), the Fast of the Prophets, starts on Hidar 15 and runs until the eve of Genna, Ethiopian Christmas. Its last day is Gahad (ገሀድ), the eve of Genna. A second Gahad is kept on Tir 10, the eve of Timket.

Tsome Nenewe (ጾመ ነነዌ) is a three-day fast, Monday to Wednesday, remembering the repentance of the people of Nineveh in the Book of Jonah. Two weeks later, also on a Monday, Abiy Tsom (ዐቢይ ጾም), the Great Lent, also called Hudade, begins. It lasts 55 days and ends on the Saturday before Fasika, Ethiopian Easter.

Tsome Hawariat (ጾመ ሐዋርያት), the Fast of the Apostles, starts the day after Paraclete (Pentecost) and lasts until the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul on Hamle 5, so its length changes with the date of Fasika. Tsome Filseta (ጾመ ፍልሰታ), the Fast of the Assumption, runs from Nehase 1 to 15, before the feast of Filseta on Nehase 16.

Wednesdays and Fridays

Outside the seasons, every Wednesday and Friday is a fasting day (Tsome Dihnet, ጾመ ድኅነት), remembering the plot against Jesus and his crucifixion. The exception is the 50 days of joy from the day after Fasika until Paraclete, when there is no Wednesday or Friday fast. When Genna or Timket falls on a Wednesday or Friday, the day is kept as a feast instead of a fast.

How the dates are worked out

Nebiyat, Gahad and Filseta fall on the same Ethiopian dates every year. Nineveh, Abiy Tsom and the Apostles' fast move, because they depend on the date of Fasika. The calendar works these out with Bahire Hasab, the traditional Ethiopian method for computing the movable feasts, the same way the EtC app does.

On a fasting day the faithful generally abstain from meat, dairy, eggs and other animal products, and often take no food until midday or the afternoon. How strictly each person fasts, and who is excused (for example the sick, the very young or pregnant women), is a matter for guidance from one's own priest or confessor.