Meat-free days

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Meat-free days or veggiedays are declared to discourage or prohibit the consumption of meat on certain days of the week. Mondays and Fridays are the most popular days. There are also movements encouraging people giving up meat on a weekly, monthly, or permanent basis.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Abstention from meat, other than fish, was historically done for religious reasons (e.g. the Friday fast). In the Methodist Church, on Fridays, especially those of Lent, "abstinence from meat one day a week is a universal act of penitence". [1] [2] Anglicans (Episcopalians) and Roman Catholics also traditionally observe Friday as a meat-free day. [3] [4] Historically, Anglican and Catholic countries enforced prohibitions on eating meat, other than fish, on certain days of Lent. In England, for example, "butchers and victuallers were bound by heavy recognizances not to slaughter or sell meat on the weekly 'fish days', Friday and Saturday." [5] In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Wednesdays and Fridays are meat-free days. [6] In the Lutheran Church, Fridays and Saturdays are historically considered meat-free days. [7] In addition to the Fridays of the year, in Western Christianity, Ash Wednesday—the first day of the repentance themed season of Lent—is a traditional day of fasting and abstinence from meat. [8] [9]

Among East Asian Buddhists, vegetarian Buddhist cuisine was eaten on days tied to the phases of the moon known as Uposatha.[ citation needed ]

Meat-free days have also been observed due to wartime rationing (e.g. Meatless Tuesdays in Canada [10] and the United States—which also observed Wheatless Wednesdays—during World War I) [11] [12] or in states with failing economies.[ citation needed ]

In the People's Republic of Poland, meat-free days were encouraged by the government due to market forces. They were aimed at limiting meat consumption, primarily in favour of flour-based foods. The meat-free day was traditionally Friday, Monday or Wednesday.[ citation needed ]

Ecology and society

Attempts to reintroduce meat-free days are part of a campaign to reduce anthropogenic climate change and improve human health and animal welfare by reducing factory farming and promoting vegetarianism or veganism.

Africa

South Africa

Asia

Hong Kong

  • Daily "Meat Free Hong Kong Meetup" [16]

India

  • International Meatless Day, also called the 'International Vegetarian Day', 25 November, birthday of Sadhu T.L. Vaswani, who was an Indian educationist who started the Mira development for improving Indian instructional framework, beginning with settling St. Mira's School in Hyderabad, Sindh. The campaign for International Meatless Day was begun in 1986 by the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, an association for social administration for the abused and underprivileged. [17] [18]

Pakistan

Singapore

Taiwan

Europe

Belgium

Germany

Norway

Switzerland

North America

United States

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lent</span> Observance in Eastern Christianity

Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important fasting season of the church year within many denominations of Eastern Christianity. It is intended to prepare Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Pascha (Easter).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friday</span> Day of the week

Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth day of the week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ash Wednesday</span> First day of Lent in Western Christianity

Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent, the six weeks of penitence before Easter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Week</span> Calendar date

Holy Week includes the events of Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem, the last supper, the arrest, and his death by crucifixion. For all Christian traditions, it is a moveable observance. In Eastern Christianity, which also calls it Great Week, it is the week following Great Lent and Lazarus Saturday, starting on the evening of Palm Sunday and concluding on the evening of Great Saturday. In Western Christianity, Holy Week is the sixth and last week of Lent, beginning with Palm Sunday and concluding on Holy Saturday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ember days</span> Three days fasting and prayer, quarterly

Ember days are quarterly periods of prayer and fasting in the liturgical calendar of Western Christian churches. The term is from Old English: ymbren, possibly derived from Latin: quatuor tempora. These fasts traditionally take place on the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of the weeks following St Lucy's Day, the first Sunday in Lent, Pentecost (Whitsun), and Holy Cross Day, though some areas follow a different pattern. Ordination ceremonies are often held on Ember Saturdays or the following Sunday.

Christian vegetarianism is the practice of keeping to a vegetarian lifestyle for reasons connected to or derived from the Christian faith. The three primary reasons are spiritual, nutritional, and ethical. The ethical reasons may include a concern for God's creation, a concern for animal rights and welfare, or both. Likewise, Christian veganism is not using any animal products for reasons connected to or derived from the Christian faith. Pescatarianism was widespread in the early Church, among both the clergy and laity. Among the early Judeo-Christian Gnostics the Ebionites held that John the Baptist, James the Just and Jesus were vegetarians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friday fast</span> Christian practice of abstaining from meat, lacticinia and alcohol on Fridays

The Friday fast is a Christian practice of variously abstaining from meat, dairy products and alcohol, on Fridays, or holding a fast on Fridays, that is found most frequently in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, written in the first century A.D., directed Christians to fast on both Wednesdays and Fridays. The Wednesday fast is done in remembrance of the story of the betrayal of Christ by Judas on Spy Wednesday, while the Friday fast is done in commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. As such, all Fridays of the year have been historically kept in many parts of Christendom as a day of strict fasting and abstinence from alcohol, meat and lacticinia. Abstinence from meat on Fridays is done as a sacrifice by many Christians because they believe that on Good Friday, Jesus sacrificed his flesh for humanity. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, in addition to fasting from food until sundown, the faithful are enjoined to abstain from sexual relations on Fridays as well.

In Christianity, the Nativity Fast—or Fast of the Prophets in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church—is a period of abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and Catholic Church in preparation for the Nativity of Jesus on December 25. Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches commence the season on November 24 and end the season on the day of Ethiopian Christmas, which falls on January 7. The corresponding Western season of preparation for Christmas, which also has been called the Nativity Fast and St. Martin's Lent, has taken the name of Advent. The Eastern fast runs for 40 days instead of four or six weeks and thematically focuses on proclamation and glorification of the Incarnation of God, whereas the Western Advent focuses on three comings of Jesus Christ: his birth, reception of his grace by the faithful, and his Second Coming or Parousia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church</span>

The Catholic Church historically observes the disciplines of fasting and abstinence at various times each year. For Catholics, fasting is the reduction of one's intake of food, while abstinence refers to refraining from something that is good, and not inherently sinful, such as meat. The Catholic Church teaches that all people are obliged by God to perform some penance for their sins, and that these acts of penance are both personal and corporeal. Bodily fasting is meaningless unless it is joined with a spiritual avoidance of sin. Basil of Caesarea gives the following exhortation regarding fasting:

Let us fast an acceptable and very pleasing fast to the Lord. True fast is the estrangement from evil, temperance of tongue, abstinence from anger, separation from desires, slander, falsehood and perjury. Privation of these is true fasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Vegetarian Day</span> Observed annually around the planet on October 1

World Vegetarian Day is observed annually around the planet on October 1. It is a day of celebration established by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977 and endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union in 1978, "To promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism." It brings awareness to the ethical, environmental, health, and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. World Vegetarian Day initiates the month of October as Vegetarian Awareness Month, which ends with November 1, World Vegan Day, as the end of that month of celebration. Vegetarian Awareness Month has been known variously as "Reverence for Life" month, "Month of Vegetarian Food", and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fasting and abstinence of the Coptic Orthodox Church</span> Coptic Orthodox fasts

The Copts, who belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, observe fasting periods according to the Coptic calendar. In Coptic Orthodox Christianity, fasting is defined as going without water and food from midnight to sunset; after that time, the consumption of water and one vegetarian meal is permitted. The fasting periods of Coptic Christians are exceeded by no other Christian denomination except the Orthodox Tewahedo. Out of the 365 days of the year, Copts often fast between 210 and 240 days. This means that Copts abstain from all animal products for up to two-thirds of each year. Coptic Orthodox fasts have evolved over time to become more lengthy and severe. A lifestyle involving such fasts may have contributed to the pacifist mindset of the Coptic people for centuries. Married couples refrain from sexual relations during Lent "to give themselves time for fasting and prayer".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Fast</span> Ancient form of Christian fasting

A Black Fast, also known as a strict fast, is a form of early Christian fasting. Those undertaking a Black Fast consume no food or water during the day and then break the fast after sunset with prayer, as well as water and a vegetarian meal devoid of meat, eggs, dairy products (lacticinia), and alcohol. Christians normatively fasted in this way during Lent prior to the 6th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meatless Monday</span> International campaign that encourages people to not eat meat

Meatless Monday and Meat Free Monday are international campaigns that encourage people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet.

Abstinence is the practice of self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence from alcohol, drugs, food, or other comforts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lent</span> Annual pre-Easter Christian observance

Lent is the solemn Christian religious observance in the liturgical year commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry. Lent is usually observed in the Catholic, Lutheran, Moravian, Anglican, United Protestant and Orthodox Christian traditions, among others. Some Anabaptist, Baptist, Methodist, Reformed, and nondenominational Christian churches also observe Lent, although many churches in these traditions do not.

Christian dietary laws vary between denominations. The general dietary restrictions specified for Christians in the New Testament are to "abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals". Some Christian denominations forbid certain foods during periods of fasting, which in some cases may cover half the year and may exclude meat, fish, dairy products, and olive oil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenten sacrifice</span> Sacrifice during Lent

A Lenten sacrifice is a spiritual practice where Christians, particularly Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Moravians and the United Protestants voluntarily renounce a pleasure or luxury during the observance of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. The tradition of Lent has its roots in Jesus Christ praying and fasting for forty days in the desert according to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. When Lent is over and Easter Sunday arrives, the faithful are able to indulge in what they sacrificed during the Lenten season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fasting and abstinence in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church</span>

Fasting and abstinence have historically constituted a major element of the practice of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, following the counsel of Saint Paul to "chastise the body and bring it under subjection" per 1 Corinthians 9:27. It is generally agreed, and asserted by the Church itself, that the fasting regime of the Ethiopian Church is the strictest of any Church, with 180 mandatory fasting days for laypeople and up to 252 days for clergy and the particularly observant. The general list of fasts are laid out in the Fetha Negest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenten supper</span> Christian meal

A Lenten supper is a meal that takes place in the evenings to break the day's fast during the Christian liturgical season of Lent, which is widely observed by members of the Catholic, Lutheran, Moravian, Anglican, Methodist, and United Protestant traditions, in addition to certain Reformed denominations.

Fasting is practiced in various religions. Examples include Lent in Christianity and Yom Kippur, Tisha B'av, Fast of Esther, Fast of Gedalia, the Seventeenth of Tammuz, and the Tenth of Tevet in Judaism. Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan each year. The fast includes refraining from consuming any food or liquid from sunup until sundown.

References

  1. ↑ McKnight, Scot (2010). Fasting: The Ancient Practices. Thomas Nelson. p. 88. ISBN   9781418576134. John Wesley, in his Journal, wrote on Friday, August 17, 1739, that "many of our society met, as we had appointed, at one in the afternoon and agreed that all members of our society should obey the Church to which we belong by observing 'all Fridays in the year' as 'days of fasting and abstinence.'
  2. ↑ "What does The United Methodist Church say about fasting?". The United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 10 March 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Buchanan, Colin (4 August 2009). The A to Z of Anglicanism. Scarecrow Press. p. 182. ISBN   9780810870086. In the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, there is a list of "Days of Fasting, or Abstinence," consisting of the 40 days of Lent, the ember days, the three rogation days (the Monday to Wednesday following the Sunday after Ascension Day), and all Fridays in the year (except Christmas, if it falls on a Friday).
  4. ↑ Green, Jennifer (25 May 2006). Dealing with Death: A Handbook of Practices, Procedures and Law. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 224. ISBN   9781846425127 . Retrieved 27 April 2014. Friday is a day of abstinence and self-denial for Catholics in health, and, by tradition, this became a meat-free day.
  5. ↑ Barrows, Susanna; Room, Robin (1991). Drinking: Behavior and Belief in Modern History . University of California Press. p.  340. ISBN   9780520070851 . Retrieved 27 April 2014. The main legally enforced prohibition in both Catholic and Anglican countries was that against meat. During Lent, the most prominent annual season of fasting in Catholic and Anglican churches, authorities enjoined abstinence from meat and sometimes "white meats" (cheese, milk, and eggs); in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England butchers and victuallers were bound by heavy recognizances not to slaughter or sell meat on the weekly "fish days," Friday and Saturday.
  6. ↑ Vitz, Evelyn Birge (1991). A Continual Feast. Ignatius Press. p. 80. ISBN   9780898703849 . Retrieved 27 April 2014. In the Orthodox groups, on ordinary Wednesdays and Fridays no meat, olive oil, wine, or fish can be consumed.
  7. ↑ Lund, Eric (January 2002). Documents from the History of Lutheranism, 1517–1750. Fortress Press. p. 166. ISBN   9781451407747. Of the Eating of Meat: One should abstain from the eating of meat on Fridays and Saturdays, also in fasts, and this should be observed as an external ordinance at the command of his Imperial Majesty.
  8. ↑ Weitzel, Thomas L. (1978). "A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent" (PDF). Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  9. ↑ Buchanan, Colin (2015). Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 256. ISBN   9781442250161.
  10. ↑ "Making Do with Less": Rationing in Canada Archived 16 December 2012 at archive.today
  11. ↑ "History of Meatless Mondays". Pbs.org. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  12. ↑ The Way We Ate: The Year Harry Truman Passed on Pumpkin Pie
  13. ↑ "City to launch 'one meat-free day a week' campaign". 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 August 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  14. ↑ Pollack, Martin (30 July 2010). "City launches Meat-free Day". City of Cape Town. Archived from the original on 2 August 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  15. ↑ "South Africa scores for farm animal welfare, the environment and human health". Compassion in World Farming. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  16. ↑ "Meat Free Hong Kong". 27 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  17. ↑ "International Meatless Day 2019". www.hellotravel.com.
  18. ↑ "Vegans urge city folk to go veg on International Meatless Day". The New Indian Express. 23 November 2018.
  19. ↑ This law was passed during Ayub's dictatorship, not during Benazir Bhutto's time.Going vegan in Pakistan... Saturday, 12 November 2011
  20. ↑ Alter, S. Amritsar to Lahore: A Journey Across the India-Pakistan Border. pp. 107-109
  21. ↑ "Veggie Thursday in Singapore". Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "Taipei Times about Meat free Monday". 19 September 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  23. ↑ Traynor, Ian (22 May 2009). "Meat-free revolution to help save the planet". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  24. ↑ "Ghent declares every Thursday 'Veggie day'". The Telegraph.
  25. 1 2 "Ghent's Veggiedag goes from strength to strength". Meat Free Mondays. 2 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  26. 1 2 "Weekly 'vegetarian day' for public canteens promised in Germany's Green Party manifesto". Telegraph (London). 6 August 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  27. ↑ Saul, Heather (30 November 2013). "Norwegian army placed on strict vegetarian diet" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  28. ↑ "Der grüne "Vegi-Tag" greift um sich". 15 August 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  29. ↑ Lowery, Wesley (12 November 2012). "City Council asks L.A. residents to go "meatless" on Mondays". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  30. ↑ "Meatless Mondays". LACityClerk Connect. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
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