Editing Great Lent (section)

===Pre-Lenten period===
{{main|Pre-Lent}}
Before the forty days of Great Lent commence, there is a three-week Pre-Lenten season, to prepare the faithful for the spiritual work they are to accomplish during the Great Fast. During this period many of the themes which will be developed in the liturgical texts of the forty days are introduced. Each week runs from Monday to Sunday and is named for the Gospel theme of the Sunday which concludes it.

In the Slavic tradition, with the addition of Zacchaeus Sunday, some regard the pre-Lenten period as lasting four weeks, but there are no liturgical indications that the week following the fifth Sunday before Lent (whether preceded by Zacchaeus Sunday or otherwise) is in any way Lenten, because Zacchaeus Sunday falls outside the ''[[Triodion]]'', the [[liturgical book]] which governs the pre-Lenten period and Lent itself.

====Zacchaeus Sunday====
[[Image:Hole zachaeus in tree.gif|thumb|[[Zacchaeus]] being called down from the tree (1908, William Hole)]]

In the Slavic liturgical traditions, Zacchaeus Sunday occurs on the fifth Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent (which starts on a Monday). Though there are no materials provided in the Lenten Triodion for this day, it is the very first day that is affected by the date of the upcoming Pascha (all the preceding days having been affected by the previous Pascha). This day has one sole Pre-Lenten feature: the [[Gospel]] reading is always the account of [[Zacchaeus]] from {{bibleverse||Luke|19:1-10|KJV}}, for which reason this Sunday is referred to as "Zacchaeus Sunday" (though the week before is not called "Zacchaeus week").

This reading actually falls at the end of the [[lectionary]] cycle, being assigned to the 32nd Week after Pentecost. However, depending upon the date of the upcoming Pascha, the readings of the preceding weeks are either skipped (if Pascha will be early) or repeated (if it will be late) so that the readings for the 32nd Sunday after Pentecost always occur on the Sunday preceding the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee.

In the Byzantine ("Greek") liturgical traditions, the Gospel reading for Zacchaeus remains in the normal lectionary cycle and does not always fall on the fifth Sunday before Lent. In fact, it usually falls a few weeks before, and the fifth Sunday before Lent is known as the Sunday of the Canaanite Woman after the story in {{bibleverse||Matthew|15:21-28|KJV}}.

The Lenten significance of the Gospel account of Zacchaeus is that it introduces the themes of pious zeal (Zacchaeus' climbing up the sycamore tree; Jesus' words: "Zacchaeus, make haste"), restraint (Jesus' words: "come down"), making a place for Jesus in the heart ("I must abide at thy house"), overcoming gossip ("And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner"), repentance and almsgiving ("And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold"), forgiveness and reconciliation ("And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham"), and the reason for the Passion and Resurrection ("For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost").

The [[Epistle]] reading for Zacchaeus Sunday is {{bibleverse|1|Timothy|4:9-15|KJV}}, which in and of itself has no Lenten theme, other than as an admonition to righteous behaviour.

====Publican and Pharisee====
The reading on the Sunday which concludes this week is the [[Parables of Jesus|Parable]] of the [[Publican and the Pharisee]] ({{bibleverse||Luke|18:10-14|KJV}}). The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first day the Lenten Triodion is used (at [[Vespers]] or [[All-Night Vigil]] on Saturday night), though it is only used for the Sunday services, with nothing pertaining to weekdays or Saturday. The theme of the hymns and readings on this Sunday is dedicated to the lessons to be learned from the parable: that righteous actions alone do not lead to salvation, that pride renders good deeds fruitless, that God can only be approached through a spirit of humility and repentance, and that God [[Justification (theology)|justifies]] the humble rather than the self-righteous. The week which follows the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is a fast-free week, to remind the faithful not to be prideful in their fasting as the Pharisee was ({{bibleverse||Luke|18:12|KJV}}).

The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is also the first day that ''structural'' changes (as opposed to simply substituting Lenten hymns for normal hymns from the [[octoechos (liturgy)|octoechos]] or [[menaion]]) are made to the Sunday services. For example, there begins to be a significant 'split' after the Great Prokimenon at [[Vespers]] that night.

====Prodigal Son====
[[File:Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn - Return of the Prodigal Son - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|[[Rembrandt]]'s painting of the ''Return of the [[Prodigal Son]]'' ({{circa|1662}})]]

The theme of this week is the Parable of the [[Prodigal Son]] ({{bibleverse|Luke|15:11-32|KJV}}). Again, the Triodion does not give [[proper (liturgy)|propers]] for the weekdays. The Gospel Reading on Sunday lays out one of the most important themes of the Lenten season: the process of falling into sin, realization of one's sinfulness, the road to repentance, and finally reconciliation, each of which is illustrated in the course of the parable.

The week following is the only week of the Triodion on which there is normal fasting (i.e. no meat, fish, wine, oil or animal products on Wednesday or Friday except if an important feast such as the [[Presentation of Jesus at the Temple]] or [[Forty Martyrs of Sebaste]] falls on that day, in which case certain foods are allowed).

====Meatfare Week====
The Saturday of this week is the first [[Saturday of the Dead]] observed during the Great Lenten season. The proper name in the [[typikon]] for the Sunday of this week is ''The Sunday of the [[Last Judgment]]'', indicating the theme of the Gospel of the day ({{bibleverse||Matthew|25:31-46|KJV}}). The popular name of "Meatfare Sunday" comes from the fact that this is the last day on which the laity are permitted to eat meat until Pascha (Byzantine Rite monks and nuns never eat meat).

====Cheesefare Week====
{{main|Cheesefare Week}}
During Cheesefare Week the eating of dairy products is permitted on every day (even Wednesday and Friday, which are normally observed as fast days throughout the year), though meat may no longer be eaten any day of the week. On the weekdays of this week, the first Lenten structural elements are introduced to the cycle of services on weekdays (the chanting of "Alleluia", the Prayer of Saint Ephrem, making prostrations, etc.).

Wednesday and Friday are the most lenten, but some lenten elements are also observed on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. The office of Cheesefare Saturday celebrates the "Holy Ascetic Fathers".

Cheesefare Week is concluded on [[Cheesefare Sunday]]. The proper name for this Sunday is ''The Sunday of Forgiveness'', both because of the Gospel theme for the day ({{bibleverse||Matthew|6:14-21|KJV}}) and because it is the day on which everyone asks forgiveness of their neighbor. The popular name of "Cheesefare Sunday" derives from the fact that it is the last day to eat dairy products before Pascha. On this Sunday, Eastern Christians identify with [[Adam and Eve]], and forgive each other in order to obtain forgiveness from God, typically in a Forgiveness Vespers service that Sunday evening.

During Forgiveness Vespers (on Sunday evening) the [[antependia|hangings]] and [[vestments]] in the church are changed to somber Lenten colours to reflect a penitential mood. At the end of the service comes the "Ceremony of Mutual Forgiveness" during which all of the people one by one ask forgiveness of one another, that the Great Fast may begin in a spirit of peace.