Serbian Orthodox Posno vs Mrsno Funeral Food Rules

The Rule Is Simple — The Calendar Decides

Whether the Daća (memorial meal) after a Serbian Orthodox funeral is posna (fasting) or mrsna (rich/non-fasting) has nothing to do with the family's preference. It is entirely determined by the Orthodox Church's fasting calendar. Serve the wrong type and you have a genuine problem with the priest, the elders, and the wider community.

Posna hrana (fasting food): no meat, no dairy, no eggs. Some strict interpretations also exclude olive oil and fish on certain days, but for funeral meals, the practical standard is no meat, dairy, or eggs.

Mrsna hrana (rich food): everything is permitted — meat, cheese, butter, eggs, the full range.

When Is It Posno?

The Daća must be posno on:

Every Wednesday and Friday, year-round. These are universal weekly fasting days in the Orthodox calendar. If the funeral happens to fall on a Wednesday or Friday, the entire meal is Lenten.

During the four major fasting seasons:

• Great Lent — the 40-day fast before Easter, followed by Holy Week. This is the longest and strictest fast. If the funeral or a later memorial falls during this period, that meal will be posno.
• The Apostles' Fast — begins the Monday after All Saints Sunday (the week after Pentecost) and runs until the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29 on the Julian calendar; July 12 on the Gregorian calendar). Length varies from 8 to 42 days depending on the year.
• The Dormition Fast — August 1–14 (Julian calendar). A strict two-week fast before the Dormition of the Theotokos.
• The Nativity Fast — November 15 through December 24 (Julian calendar). A 40-day fast before Christmas.

On specific fasting days that fall outside these seasons — the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14 Julian; September 27 Gregorian), the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (August 29 Julian; September 11 Gregorian), and Epiphany Eve.

When Is It Mrsno?

Any day that is not a Wednesday, not a Friday, not within a fasting season, and not one of the additional fasting days listed above is a mrsno day. The full menu is open.

One common trap: The Serbian Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar for fixed feasts, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. So "August 1" (Dormition Fast start) on the Julian calendar is August 14 on the Gregorian calendar you use every day. If you are checking whether a specific date is a fasting day, you need to look at the church calendar, not a regular wall calendar.

The safest approach — ask the parish priest: "Is the funeral day a fasting day?" One question, definitive answer.

What to Serve on Each Type

Posna Daća menu:

• Blessed koljivo/žito (always present)
• Pogača bread baked without milk, butter, or eggs
• Bean stew (prebranac) — the classic Serbian Lenten main dish
• Grilled or baked fish
• Potato salad or rice salad dressed with olive oil and vinegar
• Roasted vegetables
• Lenten pastries and plain bread rolls
• Red wine, plum brandy (šljivovica), and strong black coffee

Mrsna Daća menu:

• Blessed koljivo/žito (always present)
• Traditional pogača bread (made with eggs and milk)
• Roasted chicken, pork, or lamb
• Beef or pork goulash
• Cold cuts — prosciutto, salami, kajmak (Serbian cream cheese)
• Fresh bread with butter
• Cheese platters
• Red wine, šljivovica, and coffee

The koljivo, pogača, wine, šljivovica, and coffee appear on both menus. They are constants.

The 40-Day Parastos and Beyond

The same posno/mrsno rule applies to every subsequent memorial meal — the 9-day pomen, the 40-day Parastos, the 6-month memorial, and the 1-year anniversary Daća. Each time, check the church calendar for that specific date.

This is part of what makes the 40-day Parastos scheduling so important. If the 40th day falls on a Wednesday or during a fasting season, the memorial meal will be posno regardless of what the family might prefer. Some families try to time the burial so that the 40th day falls on a convenient non-fasting date, but this is secondary to the primary rule that the Parastos must not be held after the 40th day.

For a printable fasting calendar cross-reference and complete posna/mrsna menu templates, our Serbian Orthodox funeral guide includes a Daća planning worksheet you can hand directly to a caterer.