Filipovka – The Beginning of the Fasting Period on November 15
Before the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord, the Eastern Church observes a period of fasting known as Filipovka (Pilipyvka). The purpose of this forty-day fast is to spiritually prepare the faithful for the worthy celebration of the Nativity of the Lord and the Feast of Theophany.
In the Byzantine Church, this fast was officially established between the 6th and 8th centuries, although references to it can be found as early as the 4th century. The name "Filipovka" comes from the fact that the fast begins the day after the Feast of the Apostle Philip (November 14). The fast starts on November 15 and lasts until December 24, making it a forty-day period. It is one of the four fasting seasons in the Byzantine rite: Filipovka (Nativity Fast), Great Lent (Holy Forty Days Fast before Easter), Apostles’ Fast (Peter and Paul Fast), Dormition Fast (before the Dormition of the Theotokos).
The Filipovka fasting regulations have always been milder compared to the strict rules of the Great Lent before Easter. For Greek Catholics living in Slovakia today, the only obligation is to abstain from meat on Fridays. Unlike Great Lent, Filipovka does not have its own specific liturgical prescriptions.