Why do orthodox christians fast from oil?

Answer 1

Oil means olive oil, not vegetable oil, and Orthodox Christians fast from olive oil on weekdays of Great Lent, but oil is permitted on all Saturdays and Sundays of Lent, except for Holy Saturday. Here is an extract from an article called "THE MEANING OF THE GREAT FAST" by Bishop Kallistos Ware. Generally speaking, we fast from foods that give us physical strength, such as meats and dairy products and olive oil. The reason for this is to make us conscious of our dependence upon God. The Lenten fast gives us a feeling of tiredness. The purpose of this is to lead us in turn to a sense of inward brokenness and contrition; to bring us, that is, to the point where we appreciate the full force of Christ's statement, 'Without Me you can do nothing' (John 15: 5). If we always take our fill of food and drink, we easily grow over-confident in our own abilities, acquiring a false sense of autonomy and self-sufficiency. The observance of a physical fast undermines this sinful complacency. Stripping from us the specious assurance of the Pharisee - who fasted, it is true, but not in the right spirit - Lenten abstinence gives us the saving selfdissatisfaction of the Publican (Luke 18:10-13). Such is the function of the hunger and the tiredness: to make us 'poor in spirit', aware of our helplessness and of our dependence on God's aid.