Why post
Christianity offers a person to improve in various virtues. Chief among them is love for others, charity, kindness, humility, storage, intentions. Special attention is given to prayer as communion with God and of course fasting. The Holy fathers say that fasting and prayer are the two wings by which the soul as a bird ascends to heaven, leaving everything earthly and material. Many people are afraid of the posts, considering the very difficult feat of abstaining from animal products.
What positions are
There are several types of posts. Multi-day, day-and those which man imposes on himself in preparation for Holy communion. During the whole year Wednesday and Friday are considered fast days. The meaning of these days is the event of the betrayal of Christ and His death on Wednesday betrayed, and on Friday crucified). However, there are several weeks a year when canceled Wednesday and Friday as fast days. It's Christmas time, Bright week, Pancake week, Trinity week. If Christmas falls on a Wednesday or Friday, fasting is canceled.
There are multi positions. The most ancient in the Christian tradition is lent, which lasts 7 weeks. It ends with Easter Sunday. This post rolling, it can start in late February or in March. It all depends on Paschal.
After the end of this post for nearly two months is allowed to eat meat. Then comes the fast of the apostles. It depends on Easter and time of celebration. If Easter is early, long post, late short. It starts with the Monday of the week of All Saints, and always ends on the day of memory of apostles Peter and Paul, 12 July.
There are two long post - Christmas and the assumption. The first will be held from 28 November to 6 January, the second from 14 to 28 August. Thus, there are four multi-day fasting, Wednesday and Friday, and three days of abstinence before receiving Holy communion.
Except Wednesday and Friday there are day posts. The exaltation of the Holy cross (September 27), the beheading of St. John the Baptist (September 11). It turns out that meatless days a year more than the usual days when you are allowed to eat meat.
The meaning of fasting and its proper understanding
The main purpose of storage of fasting is not abstinence from meat, and the human desire to become at least a little better. The rejection of specific products will be useless if a person does not care about your soul. In this case, post is reduced to a normal diet and does not bring benefit. Lent is a spiritual spring for the soul. At this time the person seeks to cleanse his soul, trying to understand their lives, remember their main purpose - the desire for Union with God.
Fasting is the most favorable time for spiritual development of the human personality, growth of man as the image of God, and the desire to achieve Divine likeness. It turns out that abstaining from food is just a diet, but if we are talking about fasting, then you need to keep in mind certain things, without which abstinence is not just does not make sense, but isn't!