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Black fasting was an old Catholic tradition during Lent, where only one meal per day was allowed, without meat, eggs, milk, or oils. Today, fasting requirements are less rigorous, but some Eastern churches still follow similar rules.
Black fasting refers to an older tradition of fasting in the Catholic Church, especially during periods of Lent or other special celebrations. Until about the 13th or 14th century, most Catholics spent all or part of Lent in a fast that included only one meal per day, which could not include meat, meat by-products, or oils. Over time, additional meals or snacks were added, making the fast less rigorous. Today, the Western Catholic Church has much less difficult fasting requirements for Lent, although many Eastern and Eastern Orthodox churches may follow rules that look a bit like black fasting.
At least until the Middle Ages, the typical black fast allowed a single meal that could not include eggs, milk, or meat. Appropriate food choices were things like lentils or beans. Food was often eaten at the end of the day, after sunset.
Some people were exempt from fasting. The participation of very young children or the elderly and infirm was not always required. Most of the rest had to observe, and the fast became very rigorous during the last week of Lent. Typically, the only thing consumed during Holy Week was a single nocturnal meal of bread and water, which might be accompanied by herbs and salt.
A single meal of bread may not seem too challenging, but in the historical context, numerous nights of observing the black fast could have been exceptionally punishing for the body. This is especially the case because many people were workers. Although Catholic leaders referred to these fasts as promoting inner clarity and demonstrating duty to God, they could be difficult to bear.
This is the reason why the Western and Eastern churches have gradually relaxed the rules on black fasting, which, by the way, is now considered an obsolete term for the practice of fasting. In Roman Catholic churches, people may abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent, but many eat fish, shellfish, and animal by-products. Most people still have three meals every day of Lent, but many people make it fast on all or part of Good Friday. A fast for the three hours of Good Friday is generally recommended.
The rules in the Eastern churches that resemble the black fast are somewhat stricter than current Roman Catholic observances. Many churches ask parishioners to abstain from meat, fish, oils, milk, and eggs on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent. Some members of the Eastern sects also abstain from these products every Friday. Until the late 20th century, Fridays were considered by Roman Catholics to be a time of abstention as well. Most Roman Catholic families could eat fish these days, but they could not eat other types of meat.
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