The Vatican newspaper has published an article on the strict fasting discipline of two Eastern Catholic churches—the Ethiopian Catholic Church and the Eritrean Catholic Church—as well as their Oriental Orthodox counterpart, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
In addition to fasting throughout Advent and Lent, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year are days of fasting, with other periods of fasting observed. Days of fasting are also days of abstinence from meat, eggs, and dairy products.
“On Holy Thursday only unseasoned legumes are eaten,” said Father Mussie Zerai, an Eritrean Catholic priest. “On Good Friday we don’t touch food. The faithful go to church and pray all day, raising very long litanies to heaven.”