Si Robertson of Duck Dynasty hams it up with a frozen turkey. He and nephew Jase Robertson are working with State Farm to educate people about turkey frying safety. (photo State Farms)
There’s a funny thing that happens every year among the Orthodox in America around this time of year. Many Old Calendarists hop on their high horse and lord it over New Calendarists for breaking the Nativity Fast on Thanksgiving. The built-in assumption is that there is no way any Tradition-loving, Real Orthodox Christian (TM) would ever eat Turkey during the Nativity Fast. I have even heard some of them use this as one more piece of evidence in favor of the Traditional Orthodox Calendar of Real Orthodox Christians (TM): you can enjoy the Thanksgiving Feast with family and friends without pretending to enjoy Tofurky and greens (sorry: sweet potato casserole has about a tone of butter in it… so does everything worth eating at Thanksgiving).
Well, thanks to the ambiguities of astronomy, now we’ll see who is eating the (oversized fancy-tailed) crow this year: the Nativity Fast starts on Thanksgiving Day on the Traditional Orthodox Calendar of Real Orthodox Christians (TM).
I have some advice for my brother and sister Traditionalists. I am an Old Calendar priest serving an Old Calendar parish. I also have a long beard, a ponytail, serve the weekly vigil, and wear a cassock even when I’m lounging around the house (IOW, I may have some cred with Real Orthodox Christians (TM)).
Here’s what you need to know (warning: satire alert!):
There’s a footnote in the Great Typika of Nikogdabilov: Thanksgiving Turkey isn’t a meat. Thanksgiving Butter isn’t dairy. Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie isn’t dessert. So thank God for all the ways he has blessed you and your family over the past year and dig in.
But you’d better eat all that stuff quickly, because the next day it’s back to lentils and rice.
