#religious fast

• To fast on the eve — To fast (completely or restrictively) on the day or period preceding a major religious holiday; to abstain totally or partially from food and drink as an act of spiritual purification. In a broad sense, to spend time in a state of pious anticipation, respecting the traditional rules imposed on the eve of a solemn or sacred event.
• Female faster — A woman who fasts (completely or restrictively) on the eve of a major holiday; by extension, as an adjective, it describes a female person or a community of women who strictly observe the rules of spiritual purification through abstinence from food. In old rural traditions, certain elderly women were considered ritualistic fasters, praying and fasting for the well-being of the entire community or for the healing of the sick.
• Male faster — A man who fasts or keeps a strict fast on the eve of an important holiday; as an adjective, relating to the person who fasts or to the practices connected with fasting on an eve. In a theological and archaic sense, it describes the believer who takes upon himself the ascetic effort of total dietary restraint as preparation for a sacred event.