When there is no fast on Wednesday and Friday. Why Wednesday and Friday are fast days and what you can eat these days

Man is a spiritual-corporeal being of a dual nature. The Holy Fathers said that the body fits the soul like a glove on the hand.

Therefore, any fast - one-day or multi-day - is a set of means to bring a person closer both spiritually and bodily to God - in the fullness of human nature. Figuratively speaking, a person can be compared to a rider on a horse. The soul is the rider and the body is the horse. Let's say a horse is being trained for a race at a hippodrome. She is given certain food, trained, etc. Because the ultimate goal of the jockey and his horse is to come to the finish line first. The same can be said about the soul and body. The ascetic experience of the Orthodox Church, with God's help, has created a universal toolkit of spiritual, physical and nutritional means so that the rider-soul and horse-body can reach the finish line - the Kingdom of Heaven.

On the one hand, we should not neglect food fasting. Let's remember why the holy forefathers Adam and Eve committed the fall... Let's give a rather rude and primitive, far from complete interpretation: because they violated the food fast of abstinence - God's commandment not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This, I think, is a lesson for all of us.

On the other hand, food fasting should not be taken as an end in itself. This is just a means to thin our gross material fleshness through certain abstinences in food, in the use of alcohol, in marital relations so that the body becomes light, purified and serves as a faithful companion for the soul to acquire the main spiritual virtues: prayer, repentance, patience, humility, mercy, participation in the Sacraments of the Church, love for God and neighbor, etc. That is, food fasting is the first step in ascent to the Lord. Without a qualitative spiritual change-transformation of his soul, he turns into a diet that is fruitless for the human spirit.

Once upon a time, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine said a wonderful phrase that contained the essence of any fast: “To the head in the feast - do not eat one by one.” That is, this statement can be interpreted as follows: “If you, abstaining from certain actions and food, do not cultivate virtues in yourself with God’s help, and the main of them is love, then your fast is fruitless and useless.”

Regarding the question posed in the title of the article. In my opinion, the beginning of the day in the evening refers to the liturgical day, i.e., the daily circle of services: hours, vespers, matins, Liturgy, which, in essence, are one service, divided into parts for the convenience of believers. By the way, in the time of the first Christians they were one service. But food fasting should correspond to the calendar day - that is, from morning to morning (liturgical day - from evening to evening).

First, this is confirmed by liturgical practice. After all, we do not start eating meat, milk, cheese and eggs on Holy Saturday evening (if we follow the logic of allowing fasting in the evening). Or on Christmas Eve and Epiphany Eve we do not eat the same foods in the evening, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and Holy Theophany (Baptism of the Lord). No. Because fasting is allowed the day after the completion of the Divine Liturgy.

Of course, in modern realities, the practice of a one-day fast (Wednesday and Friday) has been softened for the laity. If this is not the period of one of the four annual fasts, then you can eat fish and vegetable food with oil; if Wednesday and Friday fall during the period of fasting, then the fish is not eaten on this day.

But the main thing, dear brothers and sisters, is for us to remember that sincerely and heartily we must go deep into the memory of the day on Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday - a betrayal by a man of his God the Savior; Friday is the day of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And if, on the advice of the holy fathers, in the midst of the tumultuous bustle of life, we make a prayer stop on Wednesday and Friday for five, ten minutes, for an hour, as long as we can, and think: “Stop, today Christ suffered and died for me,” then the very This remembrance, combined with prudent fasting, will beneficially and salutarily affect the soul of each of us.

Let us also remember the great and comforting words of the Savior concerning the struggle of the human soul and the demons that besiege it: “This kind is cast out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). Prayer and fasting are our two saving wings, tearing a person out of the mud of passions with God's help and elevating him to God - through love for the Almighty and for one's neighbor.

Priest Andrei Chizhenko

Orthodox church calendar of fasts and meals for 2019 with an indication and a brief description of multi-day and one-day fasts and continuous weeks.

Church Orthodox calendar of fasts and meals for 2019

Fasting is not in the belly, but in the spirit
folk proverb

Nothing in life comes without effort. And to celebrate a holiday, you need to prepare for it.
In the Russian Orthodox Church there are four multi-day fasts, fasting on Wednesday and Friday throughout the year (with the exception of a few weeks), three one-day fasts.

On the first four days of the first week of Great Lent (from Monday to Thursday), during the evening service, the Great (Penitent) Canon is read, the work of the brilliant Byzantine hymnographer St. Andrew of Crete (VIII century).

ATTENTION! Below you will find information about dry eating, oil-free food and days of complete abstinence from food. All this is an old monastic tradition, which even in monasteries can not always be observed in our time. Such strictness of fasting is not for the laity, but the usual practice is to abstain from eggs, dairy and meat food during fasting, and during a strict fast - also abstaining from fish. For all possible questions and about your individual measure of fasting, you need to consult with the confessor.

Dates are in the new style.

Calendar of fasts and meals for 2019

Periods		Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
from March 11 to April 27		xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot with butter	hot with butter
spring carnivore				fish		fish
from June 24 to July 11		hot without oil	fish	xerophagy	fish	xerophagy	fish	fish
summer carnivore				xerophagy		xerophagy
from 14 to 27 August		xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot with butter	hot with butter
autumn meat eater				xerophagy		xerophagy
November 28, 2019 to January 6, 2020	until December 19	hot without oil	fish	xerophagy	fish	xerophagy	fish	fish
	December 20 - January 1	hot without oil	hot with butter	xerophagy	hot with butter	xerophagy	fish	fish
	January 2-6	xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot with butter	hot with butter
winter carnivore				fish		fish

in 2019

The Savior himself was led by the spirit into the wilderness, was tempted by the devil for forty days, and did not eat anything during those days. The Savior began the work of our salvation by fasting. Great Lent is a fast in honor of the Savior Himself, and the last, Holy Week of this forty-eight-day fast is established in honor of the memory of the last days of earthly life, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
With special strictness, fasting is observed in the first and Holy Weeks.
On Clean Monday, it is customary to completely abstain from food. The rest of the time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry eating (water, bread, fruits, vegetables, compotes); Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil; Saturday, Sunday - food with vegetable oil.
Fish is allowed on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin and on Palm Sunday. Fish caviar is allowed on Lazarus Saturday. On Good Friday, food must not be eaten until the Shroud is taken out.

in 2019

On Monday of the week of All Saints, the fast of the Holy Apostles begins, established before the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul. This post is called summer. The continuation of the fast is different, depending on how early or late Easter is.
It always starts on All Saints Monday and ends on July 12th. The longest Petrov fast includes six weeks, and the shortest week with a day. This fast was established in honor of the Holy Apostles, who through fasting and prayer prepared themselves for the worldwide preaching of the Gospel and prepared their successors in the work of salvific service.
Strict fasting (dry eating) on Wednesday and Friday. On Monday you can have hot food without oil. On other days - fish, mushrooms, cereals with vegetable oil.

in 2019

From 14 to 27 August 2019.
A month after the Apostolic Lent, the many-day Assumption Lent begins. It lasts two weeks - from 14 to 27 August. With this fast, the Church calls us to imitate the Mother of God, who, before her resettlement to heaven, was unceasingly in fasting and prayer.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry eating. Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil. On Saturday and Sunday food with vegetable oil is allowed.
On the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), fish is allowed. Fish day in Assumption, if it falls on Wednesday or Friday.

in 2019

Christmas (Filippov) post. At the end of autumn, 40 days before the great feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church calls us to the winter fast. It is also called Filippov, because it begins after the day dedicated to the memory of the Apostle Philip, and Christmas, because it happens before the feast of the Nativity of Christ.
This fast was established in order for us to offer the Lord a thankful sacrifice for the collected earthly fruits and to prepare for the grace-filled union with the born Savior.
The charter on food coincides with the charter of Peter's fast, until the day of St. Nicholas (December 19).
If the feast of the Entrance into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos falls on Wednesday or Friday, then fish is allowed. After the day of memory of St. Nicholas and before the feast of Christmas, fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday. On the eve of the feast, you can not eat fish on all days, on Saturday and Sunday - food with butter.
On Christmas Eve, you can’t eat food until the first star appears, after which it is customary to eat sochivo - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins.

Solid weeks in 2019

week- A week from Monday to Sunday. These days there is no fasting on Wednesday and Friday.
Five continuous weeks:
Christmas time– from 7 to 17 January,
Publican and Pharisee- 2 weeks before
Cheese (Shrovetide)– week before (without meat)
Easter (Light)- a week after Easter
a week after Trinity.

Post Wednesday and Friday

The weekly fast days are Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, fasting was established in memory of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, on Friday - in memory of the suffering on the Cross and the death of the Savior. On these days of the week, the Holy Church forbids the use of meat and dairy foods, and during the week of All Saints before the Nativity of Christ, abstinence should also be from fish and vegetable oil. Only when the days of the celebrated saints fall on Wednesday and Friday is vegetable oil allowed, and on the biggest holidays, such as Intercession, fish.
Some relief is allowed for those who are sick and busy with hard work, so that Christians have the strength to pray and the necessary work, but the use of fish on the wrong days, and even more so, the complete resolution of fasting is rejected by the charter.

One day posts

Epiphany Christmas Eve- January 18, on the eve of the Epiphany of the Lord. On this day, Christians prepare for purification and consecration with holy water on the feast of Epiphany.
The Beheading of John the Baptist- 11 September. This is the day of memory and death of the great prophet John.
Exaltation of the Holy Cross- September 27. The memory of the suffering of the Savior on the cross for the salvation of the human race. This day is spent in prayers, fasting, contrition for sins.
One day posts- days of strict fasting (except Wednesday and Friday). Fish is forbidden, but food with vegetable oil is allowed.

Orthodox holidays. About eating on holidays

According to the Church Charter, there is no fasting on the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany, which happened on Wednesday and Friday. On Christmas Eve and Epiphany Eve and on the feasts of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Beheading of John the Baptist, food with vegetable oil is allowed. On the feasts of the Presentation, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Assumption, the Nativity and Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her Entry into the Temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday, and also in the period from Easter to Trinity on Wednesday and Friday fish are allowed.

When the marriage does not take place

On the eve of Wednesday and Friday of the whole year (Tuesday and Thursday), Sundays (Saturday), Twelve, temple and great holidays; in continuation of the posts: Veliky, Petrov, Uspensky, Rozhdestvensky; during Christmas time, on Meat Week, during Cheese Week (Maslenitsa) and on Cheese Fare Week; during the Paschal (Bright) week and on the days of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27.

You just read the article Church Orthodox calendar for 2019. If you would like to know more about Orthodox fasts then take a look at the article.

Lots of daily posts. They are different in terms of the strictness of compliance and are not always associated with a specific calendar date. The most famous of them are on Wednesdays and Fridays every week, on the day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, on the day before the Baptism of the Lord, on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist.

There are also one-day fasts associated with the commemoration of famous saints. These fasts are not strict unless they are on Wednesday and Friday. On such one-day fasts, one cannot eat fish, but food with vegetable oil is allowed.

Special posts may be appointed by the church in connection with some kind of misfortune or public calamity - an epidemic, war, terrorist act, etc.

One-day fasts precede the sacrament of communion.

Post on Wednesdays and Fridays

On Wednesday, according to the Gospel, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ, and on Friday Christ suffered on the cross and died. In memory of these events, the Orthodox Church established fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays every week. The exception is continuous weeks, or weeks, during which the existing restrictions do not apply to these two days. Such weeks are Christmas time (January 7-18), Publican and Pharisee, Cheese, Easter and Trinity (the first week after the Trinity).

Fasting on Fridays is the most ancient and widespread custom, dating back to the 1st century AD. e.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, you can not eat meat and dairy foods, as well as eggs. Many especially pious Christians do not allow themselves to eat these days even fish and vegetable oil, that is, they switch to dry eating. The weakening of the fast on Wednesdays and Fridays can only be if this day falls on the feast of a particularly glorified saint, to whose memory a special church service is dedicated.

In the period from the week of All Saints to the Nativity of Christ, one should also abstain from fish and vegetable oil. If the days of celebrated saints fall on Wednesday or Friday, vegetable oil can be eaten. On major holidays - such as Pokrov - it is allowed to eat fish.

Fasting on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

This day falls on September 14 (27). The holiday was established in honor of the memory of the acquisition of the Cross of the Lord. This event took place in the 4th century. According to legend, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Constantine the Great, won many victories thanks to the Cross of the Lord and therefore revered this symbol. Expressing gratitude to God for the consent of the church at the First Ecumenical Council, he decided to build a temple on Golgotha. Elena, the mother of the emperor, went to Jerusalem in 326 to find the Cross of the Lord.

According to the then-existing custom, crosses, as instruments of execution, were buried near the place of execution. Soon 3 crosses were found on Golgotha. It was difficult to know which of them was the Lord's, since a tablet with the inscription: "Jesus of Nazarene, King of the Jews" was found separately from all the crosses. As a result, the Cross of the Lord was determined by the power that manifested itself in the healing of a sick woman and the resurrection of a person from touching this cross.

According to statistics, most of the monks are long-lived. Perhaps the reason for this is in the diet that they follow.

The fame of the miracles of the Cross of the Lord also attracted many people, that because of the tightness, many could not only approach and kiss, but even see him. Then Patriarch Macarius stood on an elevated place and raised the cross, showing it to all who were in the distance. This is how the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross arose.

The holiday was timed to coincide with the day of the consecration of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, which took place on September 13, 335, and began to be celebrated the next day, September 14.

In 614, the Persian king Khosra took possession of Jerusalem and removed the shrine from there. In 328 Khozroy's successor, Syroes, returned the stolen Cross of the Lord to Jerusalem. This happened on September 14, so this day is a double holiday - the Exaltation and the Finding of the Cross of the Lord.

On this day you can not eat cheese, eggs and fish. This is how Orthodox believers express their reverence for the Cross.

Protestants do not have fixed calendar fasts. The question of the time and duration of fasting is decided individually.

Fasting on the Eve of the Epiphany

The Baptism of the Lord takes place on January 5 (18). According to the Gospel, when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove, which was witnessed by John the Baptist. He also heard the voice of God saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Thus, John testified that Jesus is the Messiah, that is, Christ is the anointed of God.

On the eve of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, a vigil is held in the temple, during which consecration by sprinkling and drinking of holy water takes place. In connection with this church charter, fasting was established. During this fast, you can eat 1 time per day and only juicy and kutya with honey. Thanks to such a menu, the eve of Epiphany is popularly called Christmas Eve (novel). If the evening falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the fast on that day is not canceled, but is facilitated. On such a day, they eat 2 times - after the liturgy and after the blessing of water.

For modern Catholics, fasting is as easy as possible. It is allowed to consume eggs and milk, it is allowed to eat 1-2 hours before communion.

Fasting on the day of the Beheading of John the Forerunner

This day is celebrated on August 29 (September 11). It was installed in memory of the death of John, who was the Forerunner of the Savior. According to the Gospel, John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod Antipas for denouncing him for cohabitation with Herodias, the wife of Philip, Herod's brother.

On the day of his birth, Herod arranged a feast at which Salome, the daughter of Herodias, danced so skillfully that the king liked it.

Very often, doctors ignore the facts recorded by statistics: many peoples and tribes that eat mainly plant foods are distinguished by special endurance and longevity.

He promised to give her everything for the dance that the girl wishes. The mother persuaded her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist as a reward. The king fulfilled his promise by sending a warrior to the prisoner to cut off his head.

Everyone knows that our ancestors adhered to traditions and considered every Lenten day a joy. This time was special. Historically, fasting is a restriction of a religious person in something for the purpose of repentance. Some Christians use the metaphor "spring of the soul". It characterizes the inner state of a person who has set a goal to sacrifice himself to God. The Lord showed believers an example when he stayed in the wilderness for 40 days and did not eat anything. Spring in nature means awakening, new life, just as fasting is a time for self-examination, self-improvement, and prayer. Some people can independently, without external help, look for flaws, shortcomings, and correct them.

In Christianity, this is given a special time, called fasting days. During periods of fasting, active spiritual work is carried out, passions are eradicated, and the soul is cleansed. To do this, it is necessary to go to the temple often, pray in the morning and evening, do good deeds, give alms, visit the weak, prisoners, learn humility.

What is a fast day for?

In the practice of Christianity, there are 4 multi-day fasts (the Great Fast takes place in the spring, Uspensky and Petrov - in the summer, Christmas - in the winter) and separate fast days - Wednesday and Friday. During long fasts, the first and last weeks are the main ones. At this time, a person needs to be extremely attentive to himself and his loved ones. Important for a fasting person is the internal state, deeds, actions, spoken words.

What should abstinence be?

Many mistakenly believe that you need to limit yourself only in food. Self-control is a very complex action that requires considerable effort. It is to track these changes that the Lord created the state in which a person lives. If a Christian fully observes external conditions, but visits entertainment establishments, watches entertainment programs, behaves unworthily, this can be called an ordinary diet. In this case, the Lord will see the deceit, and there will be no spiritual development. It happens the other way around, when a person consumes forbidden foods, but fasts in the shower. An example is a disease of the stomach or intestines, when a strict diet is needed. This desire and perseverance will be appreciated from above.

What to eat and what not

So, now let's figure out what kind of food you can eat in fasting and what not. There is a simple rule about nutrition. It is allowed to eat food of plant origin and it is forbidden to eat animal products.

Forbidden

food, poultry.
Fish (but on some days of fasting it is allowed).
Eggs, as well as the products in which they are included.
Dairy products, butter, dairy products, sour cream, cheeses.

Allowed

You can eat these foods:

Vegetables in various forms, pickles.
Fruits, dried fruits, nuts.
Kashi on the water.
Legumes, soy products.
Mushrooms.
Bread, baked goods.
Fish (only on permitted days).

During fasting, you need to diversify your diet to the maximum, as the body is used to proteins and fats. You need to eat everything, for example, juices, soy products, sweets, chocolate. In addition to basic ingredients such as vegetables and fruits, it is necessary to introduce a variety of modern products.

Be sure to try eggplant, celery, spinach, broccoli, arugula, chickpeas (from the legume family). Ordinary vegetables from the garden can be cooked in a special way, experimented, add various herbs and seasonings.

For any housewife, preparing a new dish is a special ritual during which a woman plunges into her element. To do this, you can create a personal diary and enter each recipe. Fasting days will brighten up communication with loved ones, as a joint meal brings together. Ways of cooking that really turned out great, try to recommend to friends, share experiences. It is important to remember that the body must be supported by those products, which include protein and glucose, fats.

Recipes for every day

The most common ingredients in lean cuisine are vegetables, they are suitable for both side dishes and gourmet dishes. There are a lot of recipes. For example, it is easy to make excellent meatballs from ordinary potatoes, as well as a salad or a casserole. From boiled vegetables - vinaigrette.

Recently, it has become fashionable to make puree soups. They are very nutritious, quickly and thoroughly digested. This method of cooking will appeal to young children, people of advanced age. The use of this product is not difficult. The recipe is very simple, because all the selected ingredients must first be boiled and then chopped with a blender. Next, the resulting mixture is added to the broth.

Depending on the components, the calorie content and nutritional value of the dish may vary. In some countries, this cooking method is the most common. Here is the recipe for this soup.

Soup puree with potatoes and white bread

To make the dish rich in vitamins and minerals, take parsley, celery and carrots, onions. Rinse them under running water, peel, cut into small pieces so that the cooking process takes less time. Put on the stove and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat. Now we decant the broth into a separate container and set it aside.

So it's time for the potatoes. We clean it, wash it, divide each tuber into 4 parts and lower it into the broth. We do the same with white bread. Yes, it needs to be cut and boiled together with potatoes.

Then we take some wheat flour. Mix it with vegetable oil and place in a pan with potatoes and bread. Cook until cooked, then decant the broth. You can use a colander to separate the potatoes with bread from the broth.

The cooking process is coming to an end. Grind all the ingredients that were cooked earlier in a blender and send back to our broth. The highlight of the soup will be toasted croutons, which must be fried in advance in a frying pan with butter. If the dish turned out to be thick, it is necessary to dilute it with boiled water.

Diet variety

What else can you eat in fasting, besides vegetables and fruits? Of course, porridge boiled in water. Grains are very useful. In the first place is buckwheat, rich in vitamins and trace elements that can be absorbed by the body in the shortest possible time. It can be cooked with fried onions, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach. The list of cereals is huge, we list some of them:

rice;
barley;
millet;
wheat;
barley;
corn;
semolina.

Also, cereals can be combined with each other, for example, rice and millet. To make the taste not so bland, add margarine or spread. In the morning with honey and juice, you can eat or chocolate balls. Muesli during fasting days will be an excellent reinforcement during working days. The same can be said about dried fruits, which serve as a snack. In supermarkets, at any time of the year, a lot of frozen vegetable mixes, fruits, and berries are sold. These products will make an excellent filling for lean pies, pancakes, dumplings.

Homemade pickles and marinades, compotes and jams will help diversify the diet. Sauerkraut or lecho will be a great addition to pasta, potatoes or buckwheat. Today in stores you can find many products, for example, mayonnaise, cookies, waffles, which are labeled "lean".

In modern Orthodox practice, many priests recommend that parishioners consult with their doctor beforehand. Here are some medical tips that will be helpful. For digestion in the first couple of days, it is better not to use chips, crackers, sweet nuts, carbonated drinks, strong coffee, tea. Also, in recent days, the Orthodox should not abruptly switch to permitted products. Do not pounce on eggs, Easter cakes and smoked meats. It must be remembered that there is such a sin as gluttony. Sometimes we do not notice how we get pleasure from eating food, we eat with greed even during fasting. You have to control your feelings.

Fast days. Wednesday and Friday

It is known that in each calendar circle, the fasting time falls on different dates. The fast days of 2016 are a special time for the Orthodox. We also noted that Wednesday and Friday are no less important in this regard throughout the year. But there are also weeks without fasting, for example, before Maslenitsa, Maslenitsa itself, Trinity, Svetlaya, Svyatki. You can always look at the calendar of fasting days to get the information you need.

Wednesday became fast in connection with the memory that Judas betrayed Christ on the eve of His real sins people betray the Savior who suffered for us. A fasting Christian remembers this event and laments. To realize the seriousness of the historical date, the fast day is observed almost every week. Friday is a fast day, when Christ died for the sins of the world, He was publicly crucified on the cross as a robber. So that believers do not forget about the great event, on Friday it is necessary to especially abstain mentally and bodily. Orthodox fast days are called upon to take care of the spirituality of believers.

important goal

Skillfully and wisely built posts and fasting days. They alternate with idle time. Such a sequence calls us to renew our souls, to strive for repentance, compassion, and mercy. Then again it is allowed to have fun and rejoice. It was this way of life that helped our ancestors to remain in a good mood, to be healthy mentally and physically. Despite the restrictions and the rejection of the usual things, the result will not be long in coming. Harmony is always and in everything - the basis of the right way of life. To all Orthodox on fasting day - the best wishes, strength, patience, joy.

Man is a spiritual-corporeal being of a dual nature. The Holy Fathers said that the body fits the soul like a glove on the hand.

Therefore, any fast - one-day or multi-day - is a set of means to bring a person closer both spiritually and bodily to God - in the fullness of human nature.

Figuratively speaking, a person can be compared to a rider on a horse. The soul is the rider and the body is the horse. Let's say a horse is being trained for a race at a hippodrome. She is given certain food, trained, etc. Because the ultimate goal of the jockey and his horse is to come to the finish line first. The same can be said about the soul and body. The ascetic experience of the Orthodox Church, with God's help, has created a universal toolkit of spiritual, physical and nutritional means so that the rider-soul and horse-body can reach the finish line - the Kingdom of Heaven.

Once upon a time, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine said a wonderful phrase that contained the essence of any fast: “The main thing in fasting is not to eat each other”. That is, this statement can be interpreted as follows: “If you, abstaining from certain actions and food, do not cultivate virtues in yourself with God’s help, and the main of them is love, then your fast is fruitless and useless.”

If we consider the norm of the Typicon on Wednesday and the heel, then, referring to the 69th Rule of the Holy Apostles, she equated fasting on Wednesday and Friday with the days of Great Lent and allowed eating food in the form of dry eating once a day after 15.00. But dry eating, not complete resolution from fasting.
Of course, in modern realities, the practice of a one-day fast (Wednesday and Friday) has been softened for the laity. If this is not the period of one of the four annual fasts, then you can eat fish and vegetable food with oil; if Wednesday and Friday fall during the period of fasting, then the fish is not eaten on this day.