The Maronite Great Lent (Soum al-Kabir)

Forty days of fasting, six named Sundays, and the road to Easter in the Maronite rite

The Maronite Great Lent, called Soum al-Kabir in Arabic and Sawmo Rabbo in Syriac, is the central penitential season of the Maronite Catholic year. Forty days of fasting, quieter liturgy, and deepened prayer, leading through Holy Week to the Great Sunday of the Resurrection.

It begins on Ash Monday, not on Ash Wednesday. Its fasting discipline, historically, was stricter than the Roman rite's. And each of its six Sundays carries a Gospel name: Cana, the Leper, the Hemorrhaging Woman, the Prodigal Son, the Paralytic, the Blind Man. What follows is a guide to how the Great Lent is kept in the Maronite Church today.

When Does the Maronite Great Lent Begin?

Ash Monday, not Ash Wednesday

The Maronite Great Lent begins two days before the Roman rite's Ash Wednesday. The day is called Ash Monday, or in Arabic Ithnayn al-Ramad. The faithful receive ashes in a short service at the start of the morning Liturgy, with the traditional words of the rite: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Why Monday rather than Wednesday? The Maronite calculation of the forty days of Lent, following the Antiochene Syriac tradition, counts the fast inclusively from Monday morning and concludes at Friday of the sixth week, before Lazarus Saturday and Hosanna Sunday. The Roman counting begins two days later, on Ash Wednesday, and reaches its fortieth day on the evening of Holy Thursday. Both count forty days; they simply fit the span to the calendar differently.

The Dates for 2026 and 2027

The Maronite Church, being in communion with Rome, follows the Gregorian Easter. Ash Monday and Easter move with Easter:

2026 — Ash Monday: February 16 · Easter: April 5
2027 — Ash Monday: February 8 · Easter: March 28
2028 — Ash Monday: February 28 · Easter: April 16

For the full shape of the Maronite year, see our guide to the Maronite liturgical calendar.

The Six Sundays of Lent

Unlike the Roman rite, which numbers its Sundays of Lent (First, Second, Third), the Maronite tradition names each Sunday after its Gospel reading. The sequence, preserved from the ancient Syriac lectionary, takes the faithful through a series of encounters with Christ.

1. The Sunday of the Miracle at Cana

The opening Sunday of Lent reads John 2:1–11, the wedding at Cana. Christ's first public miracle, the changing of water into wine, opens the season. The reading is deliberate: the Great Lent begins not with a command but with a sign, the first miracle, at a wedding.

2. The Sunday of the Leper's Healing

The second Sunday reads Mark 1:40–45 (or a related passage) — the healing of the leper who approaches Jesus saying, If you will, you can make me clean. Jesus touches him, and the leper is restored.

3. The Sunday of the Hemorrhaging Woman

The third Sunday reads the story of the woman with a flow of blood for twelve years (Mark 5:25–34 or Luke 8:43–48), who touches the hem of Christ's garment and is healed. Jesus says to her, Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

4. The Sunday of the Prodigal Son

The fourth Sunday reads Luke 15:11–32, the parable of the prodigal son. It is the structural midpoint of Lent in the Maronite rite, and the turning point: the son who rose up and returned to his father. The traditional Maronite hymns for this Sunday echo the father's welcome.

5. The Sunday of the Paralytic's Healing

The fifth Sunday reads John 5:1–18, the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, who had waited thirty-eight years for someone to carry him into the waters. Christ asks, Do you want to be made well? and raises him to his feet.

6. The Sunday of the Blind Man's Healing

The sixth Sunday reads John 9, the healing of the man born blind. After long catechesis, the blind man at the pool of Siloam is made to see. The Sunday closes the series of Lenten encounters: the season has moved the faithful from the wine of Cana to the opening of blind eyes.

The Maronite Fasting Rules

The Traditional Rule

The ancient Maronite fast, preserved in monastic communities and kept by devout laity within living memory, is stricter than the Roman:

Full abstinence from meat and dairy. Throughout the forty days, no meat, no eggs, no milk, no cheese, no butter, no yogurt. These were the foods given up by monks in the Antiochene tradition and extended to the lay faithful during Lent.

One full meal per day. Historically taken after noon, and in the strictest observance after 3 p.m. or sunset. A small collation (bread, fruit) was sometimes permitted in the morning.

Fish, oil, and wine permitted. The Maronite fast, unlike many Orthodox Lents, allows fish throughout. Olive oil and wine in moderation are not forbidden.

The Current Discipline

In modern pastoral practice, guided by the Patriarchate of Antioch and the eparchies in the diaspora, the binding discipline is lighter:

Ash Monday and Good Friday: strict fast. No meat, no dairy, one meal only.

All Fridays of Lent: abstinence from meat.

The full traditional fast (no meat, no dairy for the forty days) is recommended and encouraged, but not strictly binding in the diaspora. Many Maronite families keep it as a matter of personal devotion, especially in Lebanon and in communities with strong monastic ties.

Dispensations

The traditional dispensations apply:

Children under 14
The elderly (over 60 in some discipline, unwell at any age)
Pregnant and nursing women
The sick
Those doing heavy physical labor
Travelers and guests, at the discretion of the host

Fish, Oil, and Wine: What You Can Eat

A Maronite Lenten table, traditionally kept, draws on the foods of the Lebanese mountain: olive oil, bread, olives, lentils, chickpeas, bulgur, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts. Mjaddara (lentils and rice), fattoush (bread salad), mhammara (pepper-walnut paste), tabbouleh, and similar dishes form the backbone of the forty days. Fish is permitted and often eaten on Sundays. Olive oil and wine are not forbidden, and in Lebanese custom, wine in small amounts accompanies the one daily meal.

What is given up is meat from land animals and the animal fats and dairy associated with them. The abstinence is meant to return the body to the plainness of the land, to match the plainness of the soul in its prayer.

Prayer and Almsgiving in the Great Lent

Fasting is only one of the three pillars. The Maronite Lent deepens prayer and almsgiving in specific ways.

The Rite of the Signing of the Chalice (Rashm al-Kaas). On Tuesday evenings during Lent in the Maronite tradition, many parishes celebrate the Rite of the Signing of the Chalice, a Lenten para-liturgy of chant, Scripture, and silent prayer. It is unique to the Maronite rite.

The Qolo and the Syriac hymns. The great Lenten hymns of the Maronite Church, preserved in Syriac and Arabic, are sung at morning and evening prayer. They have a particular mournful beauty proper to the season.

Stations of the Cross. On Fridays, many parishes pray the Way of the Cross, often outdoors, with readings in Arabic, Syriac, and the local language.

Confession and Eucharist. Lent is the privileged season for the sacrament of reconciliation. Most parishes offer extended confession hours.

Almsgiving. The sadaqa of Lent is not only a charitable donation; it is understood as restitution and almsgiving, a return of resources to the poor. Parishes often organize collections for the sick, for refugees, and for Christians in hardship in the Middle East. See our article on Middle East Christians for context.

From Hosanna Sunday to the Great Sunday of the Resurrection

The Great Lent closes on Hosanna Sunday, the Maronite name for Palm Sunday. Palms are blessed, and children traditionally process through the church carrying them, in echo of the crowds that greeted Christ entering Jerusalem.

Then begins the Week of Suffering (Hasho), Holy Week. The liturgies intensify. Holy Thursday is marked with the washing of the feet. Good Friday is a strict fast, with the service of the Signing of the Chalice replaced by the Rite of the Burial of the Lord. Holy Saturday is silent.

On the Great Sunday of the Resurrection, Easter, the forty-day fast breaks. The Divine Liturgy (Qurbono) is celebrated with Syriac chant, bells, and the ancient greeting al-Masih qam, haqqan qam: Christ is risen. Truly, he is risen. The Lebanese Maronite tradition then keeps a season of Eastertide (Qyomto), the fifty days to Pentecost.

Why the Maronite Lent Is Different from the Roman Lent

Both rites keep a forty-day fast. Both end at Easter. But the shape is distinct:

Ash Monday vs Ash Wednesday. The Maronite counts from Monday, the Roman from Wednesday. Both reach forty days; the calendar math differs.

Strictness of fasting. The traditional Maronite fast (no meat, no dairy, forty days) is closer to the Eastern Orthodox Great Lent than to the Roman. Current discipline is closer to Roman practice, with binding days reduced.

Named Sundays. The Maronite rite names each Sunday by its Gospel. The Roman rite numbers them.

The Syriac heart. The Maronite Lent is sung in Syriac and Arabic. The hymns are ancient. The experience is contemplative rather than didactic, rooted in the desert fathers and in the fourth-century monasticism of Saint Maron.

Both are expressions of the same Paschal mystery. Maronites who attend Roman-rite Masses during Lent, and Latin Catholics who visit Maronite parishes, often find the same Lent in two accents.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Maronite Great Lent start?

The Maronite Great Lent begins on Ash Monday, the Monday before the Roman Ash Wednesday. It runs for forty days, ending on Hosanna (Palm) Sunday, followed by Holy Week (Hasho) and the Great Sunday of the Resurrection. In 2026, Ash Monday fell on February 16; in 2027, it will fall on February 8.

What are the Maronite fasting rules?

The traditional Maronite fast is stricter than the Roman: abstinence from all meat and dairy (including eggs, milk, cheese, and butter) throughout the forty days, with one full meal a day taken after noon. Current practice, as guided by the Maronite Patriarchate, binds the faithful to a strict fast on Ash Monday and Good Friday and abstinence from meat on all Fridays of Lent. The fuller traditional fast is encouraged as personal devotion permits.

Can Maronites eat fish during Lent?

Yes. The Maronite tradition, like the Roman, allows fish during Lent. Fish is not counted among the forbidden foods of the Great Fast. Wine and olive oil are also permitted in moderation. What is traditionally given up is meat from land animals and dairy products.

Why does the Maronite Lent have six named Sundays?

Each Sunday of the Great Lent takes its name from its Gospel reading: the Miracle at Cana, the Leper's Healing, the Hemorrhaging Woman, the Prodigal Son, the Paralytic, and the Blind Man. The sequence was set by the ancient Antiochene Syriac lectionary, which the Maronite Church preserves. The named Sundays walk the faithful through a series of encounters with Christ.

Do Maronites have to fast the full 40 days?

Under current discipline, the binding days are Ash Monday and Good Friday (strict fast: no meat, no dairy, one meal) and all Fridays of Lent (abstinence from meat). Children under 14, the elderly, pregnant and nursing women, the sick, and those doing heavy physical labor are dispensed. Keeping the traditional fuller fast for forty days is encouraged as a personal Lenten devotion. Saint Charbel, notably, kept an even stricter fast year-round: one meal a day without meat or dairy.