Hinduism is one of the ancient religions in which fasts are observed and a vast majority of the population of our country professes it. We have the following to learn about the form and manner of fasting in that faith from Prof. Mahadevan of Madras.
'A different group of festivals are the purificatory fasts. The followers of each cult have their own special days in the year which they spend exclusively in prayer and worship. Many people on these occasions fast and keep vigil during the night, read from the sacred texts and keep their minds engaged in thoughts on God. The day known as Vaikuvantha-Ekadasi is sacred to Visnu. Not only Vaishanavas but even other Hindus observe this day as a day of fast and prayer. The whole night which is thought to be auspicious for the worship of Siva is the Sivaratri. There are the days, again, on which the women fast and offer prayer to the Devi in her various manifestations like Gauri and Lakshmi. These fasts are significantly names Vratas or Vows. They are intended for the purification of the soul and providing it with spiritual food.' (Outlines of Hinduism pg.172)
Speaking of some other faiths Allamah Syed Sulaiman Nadwi observes:
'Among the ancient Egyptians fasting seems to have been associated with many religious festivals, notably with that of Isis, but it does not appear that, so far as the common people were concerned, the observance of the fasts was compulsory. In Athens only the women attending the festival used to keep fasts on the third day of the Thosmophoria. Among the Zoroastrians, though fasting is not prescribed for the common people, it appears from a verse in the Sacred Book that the command of fasting was present in their midst. For the priests, in particular, the five-year fast was compulsory.'
Among the Jews fasting was instituted in Biblical times as a sign of morning, or when danger threatened, or when the seer was preparing himself a divine revelation. Occasional fasts were also instituted for the whole community, specially when the nation believed itself to be under Divine displeasure, or a great calamity befell the land, or pestilence raged, or drought set in.
The Jewish calendar contains comparatively few regular fast-days. Besides the day of Atonement, which is the only fast-day prescribed by the Mosaic Law, there were established after the captivity four regular fast-days in commemoration of the various sad days that had befallen the nation during that period. There were fasts of the fourth month (May), of the fifth month (June), of the sixth month (July) and the tenth month (Tebet). According to some Rabbis of the Talmud these fasts were obligatory only when the nation was under oppression, but not when there was peace for Israel.
In addition to these there are other fasts which are observed in memory of certain disasters that befell Israel. These are not regarded as obligatory and have found little acceptance among the people. Their number, with a few changes, is twenty-five.
Besides the fixed fast-days, there are some other fasts which may be described as local or regional. These fasts, too, are related to an unfortunate occurrence or another in the history of the Jews. Many fasts are divided among different classes, with each class observing the fast in memory of a certain calamity, or of a particular occasion of joy or sorrow. It is customary among many Jewish communities to fast on the eve of New Year's Day. The Synagogue is empowered to impose fasting in case of a misfortune befalling the people, such as pestilence, famine, or an evil decree enforced by the ruler of the day.
Private fasts have also been frequent among the Jews during the earliest times. One may take upon oneself to fast on certain days, either in memory of certain events in his own life, or in expiation of his sins, or in time of trouble to arouse God's mercy. The Rabbis, however, did not encourage such abstinence. They positively forbade it in the case of a scholar who would be disturbed in his study, or of a teacher who would thereby be prevented from doing his work properly. Fasting was also done in consequence of seeing an evil dream. While in general no fast is permitted on Sabbaths or holidays the Talmud allows it to be undertaken on these days provide that it is complemented later by another fast.
The Jewish fasts begin at sunrise and end with the appearance of the first stars of the evening, except those of the Day of Atonement (tenth day of Seventh Month - Tisri) and the ninth of Ab (in commemoration of the first or second event of the burning down of the Tabernacle) which last from 'eve to eve'. There is no special ritual for the ordinary fast-days. The giving of charity on a fast-day, specially the distribution of food necessary for the evening meal, is encouraged.
The first nine days of Ab, and with some Jewish communities, the period from the seventeenth of Tammuz to the tenth of Ab, are regarded as partial fasts in which the eating of meat and the drinking of wine alone are forbidden. (Jewish Encyclopaedia vol.5 pg.347-9)
It is difficult to enter into a detailed discussion on the significance of fasting among the Christians. The common law of Christianity is lagging behind other religions in jurisprudence. It has, also, often been subjected to change and reform, under the stress of social and political impulsions, with the result that it can hardly be given the name of a Divine Law. We will, however, briefly trace the outline of the institution of fasting in Christianity which will also enable us to realize the extent of the alterations that have been taken place in it from time to time.
To quote from the Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, 'Although he (Christ) himself fasted for 40 days before the beginning of his ministry, and probably as a devout Jew, kept the one fast-day that was obligatory at the time – the Day of Atonement – he left no regulations for fasting. He gave the principles and left his Church to make rules for carrying them out. No rules on the subject could claim to come directly from the Master himself … The Jewish Christians, doubtlessly, continued to keep the Day of Atonement, and St. Luke mentions it as an epoch but the Gentiles were almost certainly not pressed to observe it.
'When we review the century and a half that followed the death of St. Paul we are at once struck by the want of regulations as to fasting. There was a general sense of the duty of fasting and frequent warnings against making it an external act
'Irenaes say that there was great variety in its observance, some fasting for one day, others for two or for several days, and that this variety was of long-standing. It was a common custom in the Second century, at least in some countries, to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. Pre-baptismal fast was observed by the candidate, the baptizer and others.
'From the third century onwards, manuals of instruction and worship, now conveniently called 'Church Orders' became common, basing their injunctions in most cases on supposed Apostolic authority. Fasting, accordingly, was more regulated and the Orthodox became stricter than the Montanists. In the fourth century we find only two days before Easter named as fasts in some authorities. The fast ends at midnight. Sick people who cannot fast on both days were allowed to fast on Saturday. There was also a diversity as to the time of ending the fast. In Rome, they ended it at cockcrow, elsewhere at nightfall.
'A forty days' fast is not found till the fourth century and made its way gradually. At Rome, three successive weeks before Easter were kept except Saturdays and Sundays. In Illyria and Greece and Alexandria they fasted six weeks. The mode of fasting also varied; some abstained from things that had life; some ate fish only, others both fish and fowl; some did not eat eggs and fruit, some ate dry bread only, some not even this.
'Since the Reformation the Church of England while fixing the fasting days, has made no rule how they are to be observed, leaving it to the individual conscience, but Acts of Parliament of Edward VI and James I and proclamations of Elizabeth vigorously enforced fasting, ordered abstinence from fresh-meat on fast days and gave the curious reason for the injunction that fish and shipping trade might be benefited.'