Whoso will pray, he must fast and be clean, And fat his soul, and make his body clean – Chaucer (The Somnours Tale)
Since ancient times, human beings have been eating. When a variety of foods came within reach, eating probably swelled to overeating and gorging. We are perhaps the only species that indulges in a second serving and one more cup of coffee: symbolic of the fact that we (tend to) eat more than is necessary for survival.
When culture enriched agriculture, modes of eating changed: we began to eat on leaves and plates, with forks and spoons, sprinkled salt and pepper. When worldviews refined eating habits, we went beyond decorum and learned to be thankful for the food we eat. This added sanctity to food, associating it with the God of religions that nourish us spiritually.
In every instance where food came to be linked to religion, at least three elements were added to our eating patterns. First was the banning of certain types of foods. Depending on the religion and/or the season these ranged from pork and shrimp to beef or no meat at all.
The opposite of eating is fasting: the (passive) act of not eating. We fast every night when we are asleep. And the first eating in the morning becomes breaking that fast: breakfast.
Common to all religions is the custom of setting aside a day or days when one does not eat at all. Thus, Judaism has its Yom Kippur, Christianity has its Lent, and Islam its entire month of Ramadan: the only time when breakfast is after sunset. In the religious context we fast to purify ourselves spiritually since we gather impurities in our activities and encounters.
Besides developing self-discipline, fasting is a voluntary subjugation of the physical body to discomfort to attain a holier state. Many Catholics fasted, seeking forgiveness from God for sins they had committed: a practice that is not accepted by Protestants. Saint Canute was a harsh penitent who fasted regularly in order to evolve spiritually.
The Holy Qur’an states that one fasts in order to acquire taqwa: deep awareness of God. Through humility and prayer, while fasting on prescribed days, one experiences the Divine that created us all. Indeed, silent meditation while fasting can lead to a better understanding of the Self. Gautama Buddha achieved it, but also realized that fasting has its limits.
At one time in England anyone indulging in meat or eggs at certain times could be prosecuted. There was also a custom by which whatever one saved by sacrificing meals was given to charity: the money went to the poor in St. Paul’s Churchyard.
Many people in the Hindu world choose to practice total or partial fasting on a chosen day or evening of the week. One popular practice is known as Ekadashi vrat: on the eleventh day after full moon and new moon, one refrains from any meal. Sometimes mandatory fasting used to be imposed as punishment for wrong-doing. In Chapter XI of Manu’s Dharmashastra we read that one penalty for theft is a three-day fast.
In the Baha’i tradition, one is not allowed to fast in the first month of the new year.
Aside from fasting on religiously prescribed days, some leaders in history have advised the people to fast on certain occasions. For example, when in the fifth century the Hun Attila went on a rampage all over Europe, the people of Paris were scared. The saintly Geneviève traveled to many parts of France while subsisting on meager food. She inspired people by her words and miracles, and urged them to pray and fast.
In the 12th century, an astrologer predicted a catastrophe when all the five planets would be in the constellation Libra. So the Archbishop of Canterbury instructed his people to fast to avert the disaster. Some believe(d) that humanity was saved because those people fasted.
In our own times, not everyone is affiliated with religions. But people diet which is a modified form of fasting that involves moderate consumption of and abstinence from many foods.
People of the Islamic tradition have their traditional yearly Ramadan fast that brings them the spiritual fulfillment that fasting at other times brings to people of other religions. It is therefore appropriate to wish our Muslim friends Ramadan Mubarak! When the time comes.
Spurts of Thought 