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A Fast Day is a day of religious fasting
Fasting

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting....
 observed at various periods by different religious groups, Jewish, Christian, and other, sometimes with the authority of government.

In American history it is an obsolete holiday
Holiday

The words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English language countries and continents, but will usually refer to one of the following activities or events:...
, "A day of public fasting and prayer", which was traditionally observed in the New England
New England

New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern U.S....
 states. It had its origin in days of prayer and repentance proclaimed in the early days of the American colonies by Royal Governors, often before the spring planting (cf., Rogation Days
Rogation days

Rogation days are, in the calendar of the Western Church, four days traditionally set apart for solemn processions to invoke God's mercy. They are April 25, the Major Rogation, coinciding with St....
).






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A Fast Day is a day of religious fasting
Fasting

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting....
 observed at various periods by different religious groups, Jewish, Christian, and other, sometimes with the authority of government.

In American history it is an obsolete holiday
Holiday

The words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English language countries and continents, but will usually refer to one of the following activities or events:...
, "A day of public fasting and prayer", which was traditionally observed in the New England
New England

New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern U.S....
 states. It had its origin in days of prayer and repentance proclaimed in the early days of the American colonies by Royal Governors, often before the spring planting (cf., Rogation Days
Rogation days

Rogation days are, in the calendar of the Western Church, four days traditionally set apart for solemn processions to invoke God's mercy. They are April 25, the Major Rogation, coinciding with St....
). It was observed by church attendance, fasting
Fasting

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting....
 and abstinence from secular activities. The first fast day was proclaimed in Boston
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the State capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England." Boston city proper had a 2007 est...
 on September 8 1670.

Fast day had lost its significance as a religious holiday by the late 19th century. It was abolished by Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
 in 1894 (being replaced with Patriots' Day
Patriots' Day

Patriots' Day is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War....
) and shortly thereafter by Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
, which also adopted Patriots' Day. It continued in New Hampshire
New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States of America. The state was named after the southern English Counties of England of Hampshire....
 until 1991, signifying only the opening of the summer tourist season; the April holiday was dropped and replaced with the January Civil Rights Day, and then, in 1999, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

External links


Examples of religious Fast Days

  • (Jeremiah 36:6, American Standard Version ).
  • (though little actual fasting may be done)
  • apparently to mark a national fast.

Links relating to New England history