Maltese Priest Breaks Down What We Really Are Allowed To Eat On Good Friday
Catholics in Malta have historically cast meat and sweets aside on the occasion of Good Friday. Other foods, such as fish, also remain a point of contention.
Though as many on the island go about their own traditional practices, really and truly, what are we supposed to be eating on the day?
Lovin Malta sat down with a Maltese priest to get the answer, so to speak, directly from the horse’s mouth.
“Traditionally, you can’t eat meat. Also traditionally, we normally tend to have two small meals and one big meal. The two small meals shouldn’t be bigger than the main meal,” he said.
“There are people who fast the whole day, literally not eating anything. But it is not obliged by the Catholic faith. Abstinence remains only on meat.”
“Even removing sweets is not necessary. People just do it because sweets are something that they generally like.”
Many still question the scope behind this practice, with some abiding by it to the absolute full, and others less so.
In truth, the sacrifice is a symbolic one. Jesus Christ gave his flesh for mankind on Good Friday. Therefore, mankind refrains from eating meat on the occasion, in his honour.
Therefore, while beef and pork are normally frowned upon, and poultry is taken in rarer instances, other foods such as milk, cheese, butter, and eggs are good to go.
In some cases, the Maltese are known to take it a step further, choosing to omit fish from their diet. But arguably, fish are not classed as ‘flesh meats’. With that in mind, you can totally get away with some seafood on the day.
In the past, fish was still considered a poor man’s meal, especially when compared to red meat which was often linked to festive occasions in lower-income communities.
It may seem complicated, but some families are even known to go the distance, fasting the entire day without taking a single morsel of food.
While not ‘obliged’, dumbing down on everyday practices that normally give us pleasure is also supposed to be a part of our Good Friday practices. That means no sex, alcohol, or other practices otherwise done on everyday occasions.
“Good Friday should be a day of prayer, a day of remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. So we’re encouraged to abstain from events which are normally seen as ‘festive’.”
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