Fasting

Fasting (complete or partial abstention from food of any kind) or abstinence (abstention from particular kinds of food, in particular meat or meat products), may be undertaken as an exercise in restraint, as a religious practice - penitence, propitiation, purification rites, mourning, for example - or in accordance with custom. It may also be used as a means of obtaining vivid dreams or visions. The purpose of the fast may be as an ascetic practice or as an exercise in self control, and may be accompanied by other austerities. Such practice is a recognized as a valuable means to self-renunciation and self-discipline inherent in the way of devotion. Abstention from foods but not liquid can be undertaken by the normal person for from 20 to 40 days without starvation, although very much shorter periods are far more usual. Absolute fasts - when even liquids are not taken - are also referred to, but naturally these can only occur for short times (up to three days).

Regular weekly fasts were practised in the early Christian Church; and the abstaining from certain foods was also established very early in the Church's history. Periods of the year during which fasting or abstinence are observed are common in many traditions: - the Christian [lent]

, observed not only during the 40 days preceding Easter but sometimes also, in the Eastern Church, the Lent of the Holy Apostles (June 16-18), Mary's Lent (August 1-14) and preceding Christmas (15 Nov - 24 Dec); the Islamic Ramadan when, for the month commemorating the receiving of the Qu'ran, no food or drink is consumed between the hours of sunrise and sunset. In many traditions, times of fast are accompanied by prayer, worship and other religious practices, in particular absolute fasting before partaking of sacrificial food.

Fasting is associated with [spiritual detachment]

releasing the spirit to [creative inventionality]

; many find it a necessary accompanying means to prayer. It causes the individual to acknowledge contingency and come to terms with the reality of death. The physical experience of hunger, tedium and lassitude contrasts with experiences of intense lucidity, euphoria and engagement; there may be a feeling of ecstasy. Undesirable qualities which control the individual - anger, pride, fear, and so on - which might otherwise remain undetected, often surface during a fast and can therefore be faced up to and dealt with. Human cravings and desires can be controlled, the individual thus being liberated from slavery to appetites not only for food.