Why Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7

Tengrinews.kz - While most of the world has already celebrated Christmas on December 25, people of some Eastern Orthodox traditions will celebrate this holy day on January 7. But why there are different dates for Christmas, The Associated Press has figured out.
Every year, when most of the Christian world has already finished celebrating Christmas, Orthodox believers are just getting ready for this bright event. On January 7, in Kazakhstan, Russia and a number of other countries, church hymns are heard, candles are lit, and homes are filled with the aromas of festive dishes.
As the Associated Press noted, the tradition follows the ancient Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by Catholic and Protestant churches, as well as much of the secular world, for everyday use.
Why are there different dates for Christmas?
However, technically the dates are not different: all Eastern Orthodox agree that December 25 is Christmas Day.

"The ancient church set its religious feasts based on the Julian calendar, but after more than a millennium, that calendar had increasingly gotten out of alignment with the solar year. Sixteenth century Pope Gregory XIII approved a revised, more astronomically precise calendar, which bears his name. It abruptly shifted the calendar several days forward to make up for lost time (literally) and added a more precise calculation of leap years," the article says.

Until 1923, all Eastern Orthodox churches followed the Julian calendar. After the reform, some churches switched to a revised calendar, close to the Gregorian, but not all communities accepted the changes. But the Russian Orthodox Church remained on the old calendar, celebrating Christmas on January 7 according to the new calendar, as did the Serbian, Georgian and some other Orthodox.
How do Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?
Customs vary by region, but in most cases the central service takes place on the eve of the holiday – this year on Saturday evening. In the Serbian Orthodox Church, for example, the service is often preceded by a short outdoor ceremony in which an oak branch or young oak tree is burned, symbolizing the birth of Christ, accompanied by loud and joyful proclamations.
Christmas is one of the main Christian holidays, established in honor of the birth in the flesh of Jesus Christ from the Virgin Mary. In Orthodoxy, it is one of the twelve great feasts of the Lord and is preceded by a 40-day Nativity Fast.
January 7 is a day off in Kazakhstan. Since 2005, this date has been marked in red on the calendar. Accordingly, on this day, Kazakhstanis will rest.
Author - Nuray Kapen
January 2025 will bring Kazakhstanis a great start to the new year with long weekends. Tengrinews.kz has prepared a convenient calendar to help you easily plan your rest, work, and travel.
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