Ember Days

Then He said to his disciples,
“The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest
to send out labourers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38

The Ember Days are three penitential days set aside at the start of each natural season for prayer, fasting, abstinence, and thanksgiving. They are a time to consecrate each season to God, show gratitude for his creation, and offer sacrifice in exchange for His blessing for a bountiful harvest and its proper use.

Ember Days - celebrated since the earliest days of the church - are unique in that they are rooted in the rhythm of the seasons. The name is derived from the Latin quattuor tempora, meaning “Four Times” or “Four Seasons.”

The fasts, known as “the fast of the four seasons,” are rooted in Old Testament practices of fasting four times a year:

Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah: therefore love truth and peace. Zacharias 8:19

Before Vatican II, it was customary for all ordinations to take place during Ember Week. The Autumn Ember Days, in particular, were a time to pray for a fruitful harvest and reflect on the spiritual fruits of the past year. Each season’s Ember Days offer an opportunity to reflect on one's spiritual journey and growth.

Ember Days are a time to thank God for the gifts of nature, learn moderation in using these gifts, and assist the needy. Additionally, ordinations of priests and deacons were often held on these days, alongside those at Easter, emphasizing their spiritual significance.

When are Ember Days?

The 1st Wednesday, Friday & Saturday after ‘Lucy, Ashes, Dove and Cross’. The days & specific themes for each Ember Week of the year are as follows:

• Winter: Advent Ember Days
  The Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of St. Lucy (December 13), during the third week of Advent, to give thanks for the olive crop that makes holy oils for Unction.

• Spring: Lenten Ember Days
  The Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Ash Wednesday, to give thanks for the flowers and for the bees that make blessed candles as in those used for Baptism and upon the altar.

• Summer: Whit Ember Days
  The Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after Pentecost, to give thanks for the wheat crop used to make the Eucharist hosts.

• Autumn: Michaelmas Ember Days
  The Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of the Holy Cross (September 14),  to give thanks for the grape harvest that makes wine for the Precious Blood of Christ.

The old way to remember Ember Days is a catchy rhyme; Lenty, Penty, Crucy, Lucy. An old English rhyme allowed people to remember the occurrence of Ember Days throughout the year: Fasting days and Emberings be Lent, Whitsun, Holyrood, and Lucie.

How Are Ember Days Celebrated?

Ember Days can be seen as a mini-Lent with some fasting and abstinence to refocus spiritual beliefs.

On Ember Days, observers traditionally fast as they would on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, except that they are allowed to eat meat as part of their main meal on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

In today’s world, many people have lost touch with these days, but there’s a growing interest in rediscovering them as an anchor for spiritual growth. The practices of fasting, prayer, and reflection on the changing seasons can help us regain a deeper sense of connection to God and to the earth.

Ember Days are like spiritual markers in the year, helping us slow down and reflect on what truly matters—whether it’s repentance, gratitude, or the cultivation of a humble heart.

Key Aspects of Fasting During Ember Days:

Traditionally, fasting means reducing food intake—often limiting meals to one full meal with two smaller meals that together do not equal a full meal. This is meant to promote humility and remind individuals of their dependence on God.

Ember Days are days of fasting and partial abstinence, and are observed in the Catholic Church: 

• Ember Wednesday:
  A day of partial abstinence and fasting, where you can eat meat as part of your main meal, but the other two meals should be small and not equal to a full meal 

• Ember Friday:
  A day of fasting and full abstinence from meat, except for Ember Friday after Pentecost 

• Ember Saturday:
  A day of fasting and partial abstinence

Spiritual Focus: The goal of fasting during Ember Days is to seek spiritual renewal and growth, to humble oneself before God, and to reflect on the gifts of nature and how to use them in moderation.

Seasonal Connection: Because Ember Days fall at the changing of the seasons, fasting and prayer are linked to both penitence (acknowledging personal sin) and thanksgiving (for the seasonal harvests and God's provision). In particular, the Autumn Ember Days are a time to reflect on the "spiritual harvest" of the year.

Prayers for Vocations: Fasting is also associated with prayers for vocations, especially to the priesthood and religious life. Historically, many ordinations took place during Ember Weeks, underscoring the connection between fasting, prayer, and the health of the Church.

Fruits of the Earth and Health Connection - a New & Ancient Development: in the light of the fact that the Ember Days occur at a pivoting point in the changing of seasons, when the ember Fast signals a change in the eating habits of vegetables, fruits and meats which is itself determined by what the season makes available for food. This also points to a Health connection, namely, for millennia, human beings’ bodies were accustomed to eating meats, fruits and veg according to their availability or non-availability in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Implications for the Renewal of the Ember Days for our Times: So, in the light of recent scandals and recent news about processed, super-processed, fast food and supermarket-selling of foods, we may need to seek a way of eating healthily, safely, securely and naturally.

Having a festival alongside the Ember Days can both celebrate and signal the vital importance of giving thanks for Natural food as God-given fruits of the earth as opposed to unnatural foods that are tainted by the production of synthetic and artificial ingredients from labs and from other forms of contamination.

There is therefore in the Ember Days a profound indicator of the wisdom of changing not just the kind of food we eat but also the sources that generate the food that we eat so that we discover there is a Wisdom of Food! A Wisdom that tunes us all into the seasonal rhythm of the earth, the natural rhythm of our bodies and the rhythm divine of our liturgical calendar as natural food is God-given and thus trustworthy for human health and well-being; whereas unnatural food is certainly not!

Ember Days are an opportunity for additional sacrifice and spiritual growth.

You can find out more about Ember Days here and you can watch a video about Ember Days here.