Is fish permitted during the Saint Mary Fast?
By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10
Yes, according to the Coptic Orthodox rite, fish is permitted during the Fast of the Holy Virgin Theotokos Saint Mary.
In the Coptic Church, our fasts are categorized into two types:
- Major Fasts (First-Degree Fasts): These are the most ascetic fasts, during which fish is not permitted. These include Great Lent, the Wednesdays and Fridays of every week, and the Fast of Nineveh.
- Minor Fasts (Second-Degree Fasts): These are fasts during which fish is permitted to alleviate the burden on the faithful, especially as these fasts occur more frequently or for shorter durations. These include the Nativity Fast (Paramoun excepted), the Apostles' Fast, and the Fast of the Virgin Mary.
Important Spiritual and Liturgical Notes
- Prostration (Metanias): Even though fish is permitted, we still maintain the traditional fast from food and water (abstinence) from midnight until a certain hour (usually 3:00 PM or after the Divine Liturgy), according to the guidance of your Father of Confession.
- The Feast Day: Fish is permitted throughout the 15 days of the fast. However, if the Feast of the Assumption of her body (August 22 / 16 Mesra) falls on a Wednesday or Friday, we break the fast with fish but do not eat meat or dairy until the following day, as Wednesdays and Fridays are always days of fasting regardless of the season.
- The Purpose: The permission to eat fish is a mercy from the Church, but the primary focus of the fast remains spiritual discipline, the Tasbeha - praises, and seeking the intercession of the.
We follow this tradition because it has been handed down to us through the Church, distinguishing our practices from others and ensuring we honor the Mother of God with both physical discipline and spiritual joy.