Fast Day - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition fast-day

Definition :

Fast-day, a day of mortification by religious ab-stinence. See a list of Church of England Fast-days in the Prayer-book Calendar Scheduled to the (English) Calendar (New Style) Act, 1750 (24 Geo. 3, c. 23), and see also the still unrepealed 5 & 6 Edw. 6, c. 3 (printed in the second revised edition of the statutes published by authority in 1888), by which the eves of Christmas Day and other holy days are 'commanded to be fasted,' and arch-bishops, bishops and others are authorized to inquire of every person offending in the premises, and to punish offenders by the censures of the Church, and to enjoin them such penance as shall be to the spiritual judge by his discretion thought meet and convenient. 2 & 3 Edw. 6, c. 19, however, providing for abstinence from flesh in Lent or on Fridays or Saturdays, which was expressly saved by s. 4 of this Act, has been repealed by 19 & 20 Vict. c. 64, with many other disused Acts.

Fast-days may also be appointed on special occasions by royal proclamation, e.g., ss. 14 and 92 of the Bills of Exchange Act, 1882, recognize such days. The last fast-day so appointed was on account of the Indian Mutiny in 1857, enjoined by proclamation published in the Gazette of September 25th. Consult Phillimore, Ecc. Law, ch. XII.