Ember Days

Did you fast yesterday in observation of Ember Days? No? I guess you heard that Pope Paul VI decreed (in Paenitemin) that fasting was no longer required. What are Ember days?

Ember days are 4 sets of 3 days (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) in one week that were set aside for fasting and prayer. Thee sets are spread out pretty much equidistantly through the year. Thusly:

1) between the 3rd and 4th Sundays of Advent
2) between the 1st and 2nd Sunday of Advent
3) between Pentacost and Trinity Sunday
4) the week that begins the Sunday after Holy Cross Day (September 14)

Pope Gelasius I made Ember weeks the time for ordinations. The term ember is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ymbren, or circuit.