Fasting and abstinence in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Fasting and abstinence (Ge'ez: ጾም ṣōm; Amharic and Tigrinya: tsom) have historically constituted a major element of the practice of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, following the counsel of Saint Paul (Ge'ez: ቅዱስ ጳውሎስ; k’idus p’awilos) to "chastise the body and bring it under subjection" per 1 Corinthians 9:27. It is generally agreed, and asserted by the Church itself, that the fasting regime of the Ethiopian Church is the strictest of any Church, with 180 mandatory fasting days for laypeople and up to 252 days for clergy and the particularly observant.^[1] The general list of fasts are laid out in the Fetha Negest.