Every Friday, millions of people around the world sit down to a meal centered around fish. Catholic families abstain from meat while Orthodox Christians fast entirely until sunset. Even non-religious folk often opt for seafood fare at week’s end. So what is the significance behind this fishy Friday custom?
The tradition of eating fish on Fridays actually has a long and multilayered history intertwined with religion, economics, and culture.
The Religious Origins of Fish on Fridays
For Christians Friday is a day to remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospels, Jesus was executed by the Romans on a Friday known as Good Friday.
In the early centuries of the Church, Friday became a day of penance and mourning Christians would fast or abstain from meat on Fridays as a small sacrifice to honor Christ’s larger one.
But why fish in particular?
Early Church writings distinguished between the flesh of warm-blooded land animals and cold-blooded sea creatures. The meat of mammals and birds was considered off-limits during times of fasting and abstinence, but fish was deemed acceptable.
Some reasons given for this include:
- Fish was seen as a humble, austerity food compared to luxurious meat.
- Jesus fed the multitudes with fish, giving it a holy meaning.
- Fish lives in the sea, the origin of life in Genesis, so it is “unblemished” by land.
By the 3rd century AD, we find concrete documentation of Friday fasting with fish permitted. This tradition continues today in Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
How “Fish Fridays” Spread Through Europe
While Friday fish-eating began as a solemn religious practice, it had some unexpected impacts that popularized fish meals.
With so many meatless days on the calendar, demand for fish exploded in medieval Europe. Fishermen and coastal communities prospered. Fish became a lucrative trade commodity and lending it money an avenue for bankers to profit and gain influence.
As Christian populations and economies grew, so did the fish trade. Dried cod from Norway and herring from the Baltic Sea were soon fixtures in inland markets. By the 13th century, fish had become a regular part of the European diet, not just for Fridays but everyday.
Why Eating Fish Became Mandatory
While Friday fish-eating was common, it wasn’t official Church law until the 13th century.
In 1252 Pope Innocent IV formalized Friday abstinence, requiring all able Catholics over 14 years old to abstain from meat on Fridays, Ash Wednesday and the entirety of Lent. Violators faced excommunication.
Reasons for this strict mandate include:
- Reinforcing Catholic identity during the Crusades and Inquisition era
- Providing economic security for the fishing trade
- Binding local communities through a shared ritual
Fish Fridays allowed the church to regularly remind the faithful of Christ’s passion. It also supported an industry essential to feeding Catholics.
The Rise of Fry-Day Traditions
By the late Middle Ages, culinary customs evolved around the fish rules.
Fried fish became popular, as the fat made lean fish more appetizing and nourishing. English Catholics ate fried fish, French Catholics ate beignets, and Spanish Catholics developed salt cod tapas.
These Friday fish fries fostered community and offered a tasty reward for a week of abstinence.
Regions also developed unique recipes suited to local seafood. Catholic immigrants later brought dishes like Italian scungilli, Polish herring, and Irish salmon cakes to new shores.
Changing Attitudes – The Decline of Fish Fridays
Up until the mid-20th century, avoiding meat on Fridays was strictly enforced in the Catholic world. Most people complied, and fish remained tied to Lent and Fridays.
But cultural shifts in the 1960s loosened this dietary obligation.
In 1966 Pope Paul VI relaxed the Friday rules, requiring abstinence only during Lent. Many bishops eliminated the custom altogether, leaving it as a personal choice.
Young Catholics increasingly saw fish Friday as an inconvenience or outdated tradition. As more women worked outside the home, dedicating extra time to specialty meals declined.
Modern affluence also made meat no longer a luxury. As economic and social factors changed, so did religious dietary practices.
The Revival of Fish for Faith
While Fish Fridays faded, they never disappeared entirely. Many older Catholics held onto the custom, imparting its significance to children and newcomers. Friday fish fries continue in many communities as fundraisers and social events.
In recent years, younger generations are rediscovering the value of reviving the Lenten fish tradition. Reasons include:
- A return to historic religious practices
- Appreciating seafood’s health benefits
- Promoting sustainable fishing
- Experiencing community and cultural heritage
There’s also a realization that small acts of sacrifice keep us spiritually grounded. Giving up a cheeseburger one day a week reorients focus from self to God.
More Than Just a Meal
On the surface, fish on Fridays is just a meal choice. But this centuries-old practice carries deeper religious meaning.
Friday fish serves as:
- A remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice every week
- A communal ritual connecting families through generations
- A creative outlet for cultures to shape meals around their values
- A way to link the human with the holy through food
Even non-religious folks find appeal in Friday fish fries as a way to gather, build traditions, and infuse meaning into our dining habits.
The next time you enjoy a Friday fish feast, take a moment to appreciate the layers of significance baked into this meal. Whether simply grilled fish or an elaborate spread, it ultimately represents faith, identity, and community.
Hey Father! Why do Catholics eat fish on Fridays and when did this start?
There’s a good chance that the question Catholics are asked most often right now is about eating fish on Fridays.
First, it’s important to remember that Catholics are required by canon 1251 not to eat meat on any Friday of the year. As is often the case with canon law, there are some exceptions: unless the Conference of Bishops says otherwise, or if it happens to be a Solemnity Friday.
That’s right, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has decided that Catholics can eat meat on Fridays when Lent isn’t going on, as long as they do something else as a penance instead. I know.
Second, it’s important to remember that we don’t have to eat fish on Fridays; we should stay away from meat. In Latin, we are told to stay away from carnis, which has always meant meat from animals that walk on the ground. This practice seems to date from as early as the first century.
Many people, even today, say that Catholics eat fish on Fridays because one of the popes in the Middle Ages wanted to help the fishmongers. This is not true at all. But there is some history behind this claim, but it’s about the Church of England, not the Catholic Church. In 1563, Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of King Henry VIII, ordered that people not eat meat on Wednesdays to help the fishing industry.
Friday is fish day for Catholics because they can’t eat meat and don’t want to eat a meal of only grains, fruits, or vegetables.
About two years ago, I came across an interesting reason why we eat fish on Fridays but not meat. In the 1400s, John Myre wrote in his Liber Festivalis, “Because God cursed the earth and the land because of Adam’s sin, he did not curse the water. That is why it is lawful for a man to eat anything that comes from the water during Lent.” ” To put it differently, we eat fish as a reminder of God’s mercy. Ponder that, and try that answer the next time someone asks you about your fish sandwich.
Fr. Daren Zehnle is pastor at St. Augustine Parish in Ashland and is in charge of the U.S. Diocese of Springfield’s Office of Divine Worship and Catechumenate.
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Why do we eat fish on Fridays during Lent? | Catholic Planner
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