The week before Great Lent begins is known as Meat Fare because we abstain from all meat (however, all other foods (including fish) are permitted). On Monday, March 11, we begin the full fast.

There are 23 services during the eight days between Lazarus Saturday and the afternoon of Pascha, and each of those services is designed to bring us as close as possible to the Most Holy Trinity, and the best way to take advantage of those opportunities is to figure out ahead of time which services we will be attending during those eight holy days.