Why do we fast on Wednesday and Friday?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-08

The fast of Wednesday and Friday is an ancient Apostolic ordinance practiced by the Church from the first century, rooted directly in the events of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Wednesday: The Betrayal and Council of Death

We fast on Wednesday to commemorate the conspiracy against our Lord Jesus Christ. On this day:

• The chief priests, scribes, and elders of the Jews gathered in the court of the high priest Caiaphas to plot how they might arrest Jesus deceitfully and put Him to death (Matthew 26:3–4).
• Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests and betrayed his Master for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–16).

By fasting on Wednesday, the Church grieves over the betrayal of our Savior, recalls how human rebellion and treacherous greed conspired against the Son of God, and examines herself lest any of us betray Christ through our sins.

2. Friday: The Crucifixion and Death of Christ

We fast on Friday to commemorate the Holy Passion, Crucifixion, and life-giving death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ upon the Cross of Golgotha for our salvation.

• On this day, Christ offered Himself as the spotless Lamb, bearing our transgressions and delivering mankind from the condemnation of death and the power of Hades.
• Fasting on Friday is an act of thanksgiving, reverence, and ascetic fellowship with His suffering, as the Apostle Paul wrote: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).

Apostolic and Patristic Foundation

This discipline is not a late innovation. It was prescribed in the earliest apostolic documents of the early Church:

• The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, c. late 1st century): Specifically instructs Christians to fast on the fourth day (Wednesday) and the preparation day (Friday), explicitly distinguishing the Christian fast from the Jewish practice of fasting on Mondays and Thursdays.
• Apostolic Canon 69: Commands that any bishop, priest, deacon, reader, singer, or layman who fails to fast on the holy fast of the Forty Days (Lent) and on Wednesday and Friday—unless hindered by bodily weakness—be subject to canonical discipline.
• St. Peter of Alexandria (17th Pope of Alexandria, Martyr): Stated in his Canonical Epistles: "On Wednesday we fast because the Jews took counsel for the betrayal of the Lord; and on Friday, because on that day He suffered for us."

Liturgical Practice

Throughout the year, Wednesdays and Fridays are observed with strict fasting—abstaining from all animal products (meat, poultry, dairy, fish) and maintaining a period of abstinence (going without food and drink until a set liturgical hour, typically the Ninth Hour or after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy).

The only period during the year when Wednesday and Friday fasting is suspended is the Holy Fifty Days (between the Feast of the Resurrection and the Feast of Pentecost), during which the entire period is celebrated as one continuous Feast of the Resurrection, rejoicing in Christ’s triumph over death. Outside this joyful season, Wednesday and Friday remain a constant weekly remembrance of the Cross and the price of our redemption.