Overview
- The Catholic Church designates Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as days to abstain from red meat, though most observance now concentrates on Good Friday.
- The practice is presented as an act of penance that honors Jesus' sacrifice by giving up foods associated with feasts and worldly pleasure.
- Fish remains allowed because it was long viewed as a humble, low-cost food and it holds strong Christian symbolism.
- Church guidance asks Catholics aged 14 and older to avoid meat on Good Friday as a way to unite body and spirit in reflection.
- Holy Week also shifts food demand in countries like Argentina, with peak seafood sales, bakeries producing roscas, and many families returning to asado on Easter Sunday.