The act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time.

FASTING

An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day (24 hours), or several daytime period.

Other fasts may be partial in scope of food and drink, such as restricting only meat.

The fast may also be intermittent, spanning an irregular set of days.

Fasting practices may preclude sexual and other activities as well as food.

RELIGIONBahá'í Faith

In the Bahá'í Faith, fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset during the Bahá'í month of Ala' (March 2-March 20).

It is the complete abstaining from both food and drink (including abstaining from smoking).

It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul.

Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires

Buddhism

Monks and nuns following the Vinaya rules commonly do not eat each day after the noon meal.

This is not considered a fast but rather a disciplined regimen aiding in meditation and good health.

RELIGION

Christianity

In essence, it means afflict the soul through abstaining from fulfilling the needs or wants of the flesh.

The Lenten fast observed in the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church is a forty-day partial fast to commemorate the fast observed by Christ during his temptation in the desert.

Biblical accounts

Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights, twice back-to-back, without food or water; the first, immediately before he received the tablets on the mountain with God. And the second, after coming down, seeing the Israelites practicing idolatry, and breaking the tablets in anger.

The prophet Joel called for a fast to avert the judgment of God.

Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights while in the desert, being tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread and eat them, among other temptations.

RulesFasting during these times includes abstention from:- animal products, all dairy products, and—with the exception of some specific days—fish,-oil (interpreted variously as abstention from olive oil only, or as abstention from all cooking oils in general), and -red wine (which is often interpreted as including all wine or alcoholic beverages)-sexuality (where fasting is pre-communion)

Other religions who practice fast:

Roman CatholicismAnglicanism

Eastern Orthodoxy and Greek-CatholicismOriental Orthodox Churches

Protestant churchesLutheranism

Classical PentecostalismCharismatic

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsHinduism

VaishnavismIslam

JainismJudaism

SPIRITUAL FASTING

A prominent figure associated with "spiritual fast" was labor leader and activist, Cesar Chavez. A spiritual fast is a particular fast that incorporates personal spiritual beliefs with the desire to express personal principles.

This form of fasting is different from a hunger strike in that it is not participated in to achieve a certain political goal.

A spiritual fast is aimed at expressing a personal belief and is commonly used in the context of a social injustice.[

Cesar Chavez fasted a legendary twenty five days, for his sins and the sins of his supporters.On promoting the principle of nonviolence.

Gandhi’s fasts and emphasis of nonviolence