For reactions involving oxygen, the gain of oxygen implies the oxidation of the atom or molecule to which the oxygen is added (and the oxygen is reduced). In organic compounds, such as butane or ethanol, the loss of hydrogen implies oxidation of the molecule from which it is lost (and the hydrogen is reduced).
In Ethiopian Orthodoxy, fasting (tsome) lasts for 55 continuous days before Easter (Fasika), although the fast is divided into three separate periods: Tsome Hirkal, eight days commemorating an early Christian figure; Tsome Arba, forty days of Lent; and Tsome Himamat, seven days commemorating Holy Week.
Changes instituted in Vatican II in the 1960s â the rules most Catholics live by today â called for fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and giving up meat on all Fridays during Lent, she said. Today the fast is about giving up something you enjoy enough that it would be felt as a sacrifice for the duration of Lent. Forgoing meat on Fridays is a given. For children, the sacrifice might be candy and cartoons. For adults itâs often rich foods, desserts or alcohol. Not all fasts involve consumables.