Orthodox Christmas - Learn Everything About The Celebration

Christmas has come and gone for most of us, but many individuals and communities are still enjoying the holiday season and looking forward to having a Christmas celebration on January 7. You might be wondering how. Well, this is because January is the time for Orthodox Christmas. While Christmas is typically celebrated on December 25th throughout the world, January 7 seems a strange date to many, especially for those not aware of the Coptic Orthodox celebration. For Orthodox Christians across the globe, particularly those in eastern Europe and Russia, the celebration of this festival is in the month of January. The difference in date doesn’t mean they can’t celebrate in December; they can do so as per their preference.  

Both these dates hold a lot of differences in terms of traditions, history, and celebration. But they ultimately celebrate the same thing – the birth of Jesus Christ. While the Orthodox Christmas this year will be a little different with masks on and social distancing, one can still relish a safe celebration. For those who are new to this festival, let’s dive deeper and learn more about the celebration. Read this article and expand your knowledge. 

Background Of Orthodox Christmas

The history of Orthodox Christmas goes back to 400 years ago when Orthodox churches elected to use a 2000-year-old calendar which is not the same as the one that we use today. This implies that those churches and their members have different dates for celebrations than others. 

Back in the 16th century, the Julian calendar was used, which was adopted by Roman ruler Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. Later, an Egyptian astronomer said they may have overestimated it by 11 minutes. While it might not sound like much of a difference, the date is almost out of sync a few centuries later. 

Years later, in 1598, Pope Gregory XIII believed that Christian festivals had become too erratic, and hence he called a meeting and proposed a new calendar called the Gregorian calendar. It was to solve the issue, and hence, most of the Christian committee adopted it with Orthodox churches as an exception. Orthodox Christianity refused to accept it, and because of that, they celebrated Christmas on January 7 while the rest of the world observed it on December 25.

Who Celebrates Orthodox Christmas?

Orthodox Christmas is an old practice, and during that time, a majority of the Christian population used to celebrate the festival in the month of January. However, in 1923, some countries like Greece, Cyprus, and Romania adopted a revised Julian calendar and started celebrating on December 25.

Today, the Julian calendar sees adherents in several parts of the world who honor the nativity two weeks after the west, i.e., January 7. As of now, 85% of the total Russian population of Christians celebrations choose to celebrate Christmas in January. Other than that, the following are the places that celebrate Orthodox Christmas in January.