Diversity Thursday: Fasting

What is fasting?

Fasting can generally be defined as the voluntary abstention from certain foods, drinks, selected other stimulants or certain behaviours for a predetermined period of time. It can be practised for a variety of reasons, including religious beliefs, spiritual practices, health aspects, as part of social movements or value systems.

The effects of fasting can be both physical and psychological. After an initial period of discomfort, many people who fast report feeling good, more mindful and with improved self-discipline. On a physical level, fasting can also have health benefits, such as improving the metabolism.

In addition, fasting often promotes a sense of community and solidarity, as many people take part in these practices together. It can also be an opportunity to reflect on one's own values and beliefs and to establish a deeper connection with oneself and others.

Religious fasting

Islam

According to the Quran, fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam – the others being the profession of faith, daily prayers, almsgiving and the pilgrimage to Mecca. Ramadan is the name of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. According to Muslim belief, the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during this month. Ramadan began on 28 February 2025 and ends on 30 March.

The daily fast begins at dawn and ends at sunset. During this time, fasting Muslims refrain for example from eating and drinking. The daily breaking of the fast is often accompanied by a communal meal. Ramadan is a time of reflection, prayer and community that is intended to help people focus on their own spirituality and strengthen self-control.

According to the 2020 study ‘Muslim Life in Germany’, 57% of the Muslims surveyed said they strictly adhered to the fasting rules. Another 20% partially complied with the fasting rules. Those who are exempt from fasting include pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, menstruating women, people who are ill, and travellers.

Judaism

In Judaism, there are several designated days of fasting, including Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On this high Jewish holiday, believers fast for 25 hours. On this day, for example, eating and drinking should be avoided, as should luxury. In 2025, Yom Kippur begins at sunset on 1 October and ends at nightfall on 2 October. This is a time for repentance and reflection on the past year.

In addition, there are other general days when it is common in Judaism to fast as a sign of remembrance. One example is Tisha B'Av, a day of mourning that commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Buddhism

In Buddhism, people fast on certain days, such as the Uposatha. These days are dedicated to spiritual reflection. Many Buddhists refrain from eating solid food after midday in order to concentrate on meditation and mindfulness.

'Buddha taught the path of moderation, he rejected self-mortification. Neither greed nor hunger are recommended according to this. However, eating little makes meditation on the path to inner peace and enlightenment easier.' (Planet Wissen)

Christianity

In Christianity, the most well-known period of fasting is the “Easter season of Lent”, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on the day before Easter Sunday. We are currently in this period of fasting, which began on 5 March 2025 and will last until 20 April.

Nowadays, the Christian churches set relatively few rules for fasting. Many believers do without certain foods or habits during this time to cleanse themselves spiritually and prepare for Easter. According to a 2020 Statista survey on fasting for religious reasons, 13% of Catholic and 3% of Protestant respondents said they regularly fast for religious reasons. A further 21% of Catholics and 9% of Protestants said they fast occasionally.

Fasting without a religious background

Fasting for alleged health reasons is also a common reason for avoiding (certain) foods. Well-known methods include therapeutic fasting according to Buchinger or interval fasting. Various studies examine the possible effects in terms of weight loss, prevention of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke, as well as neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease or dementia. ‘There are no extensive clinical studies in which a representative number of people have fasted regularly over a period of years and been compared with a non-fasting control group.’ (Quarks)

Nowadays, many people also take part in trends such as ‘Dry January’, where people avoid alcohol during the month of January. In the phenomenon of social fasting, foods (e.g. sweets) or habits (e.g. smoking) that are declared unhealthy are excluded in a community. Also, fasting is no longer limited to just avoiding indulgence foods. It is also possible to temporarily reject consumer goods such as smartphones, to refrain from driving or to avoid behavioural patterns such as making excuses or saying ‘yes’. The main objective is to reduce stress and to have more time for oneself, as a forsa survey commissioned by DAK-Gesundheit in January 2023 shows. 18% of respondents find it very useful from a health perspective to go without a particular luxury food or consumer good for several weeks. A further 45% consider it useful. By far the most frequently mentioned in this context are alcohol and sweets (73% each).

Sources

(In order of sections in the text)

• Wie gut ist Fasten? | quarks.de
• Fasten in den Religionen - Konzentration aufs Wesentliche | Deutschlandfunk

• Religiöses Fasten nach Konfessionen 2020 | Statista

• Fasten – wozu, wer, wie lang, was und warum? | katholisch.de
• Geschichte, Motive und Liturgie: Die Fastenzeit auf einen Blick | katholisch.de
• Fastenzeit: Eine Zeit des Verzichts von Aschermittwoch bis Ostersonntag | Erzbistum Köln

• Beginn des Fastenmonats Ramadan | Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung

• Muslimisches Leben in Deutschland  -Studie 2020 | BAMF
• Ramadan | Islam-Ist.de
• Ramadan | Deutsche Islam-Konferenz

• Juden feiern Versöhnungstag Jom Kippur: Buße, Reue, Umkehr | ZDFheute

• Religiöse Strömungen und jüdische Feiertage | Jüdisches Leben in Deutschland nach 1945 | bpb.de
• Feiertage | Zentralrat der Juden

• Essen: Fasten - Fasten - Essen - Gesellschaft | Planet Wissen

• Verschiedene Fastenarten: Vor- und Nachteile | NDR.de

• Fasten: Religiöses Fasten - Fasten - Essen - Gesellschaft | Planet Wissen

• Nach drei Jahren Pandemie: Fasten weiter hoch im Trend | DAK
• Richtig fasten: Tipps zum Wohlfühlen und Durchhalten in der Fastenzeit | Verbraucherzentrale.de

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