Eastern Orthodox Christmas (January 7th), or the Feast of the Nativity, is the holiday that marks the birth of Jesus Christ, of the Christian god made flesh.
It is much like Christmas in the West – Christmas trees, gift-giving, feasting, special food, song and church services, a Father Christmas figure, etc. The main difference is the date and the fasting that leads up to it.
Dates (on the Gregorian calendar):
- December 25th: Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, US.
- January 7th: Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova and Montenegro.
Other eastern Christians, not just the Eastern Orthodox, also observe Christmas on January 7th: those in Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea and many in the Arab world.
Where Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. Click to go to the interactive map at the Telegraph to find out more about each country.
Why January 7th? Because those churches still use the old Julian calendar to set religious holidays, not the Gregorian calendar used by Catholics and Protestants. January 7th on the Gregorian calendar is December 25th on the Julian calendar (from 1900 to 2099).
Julian calendar: The Julian calendar is the Roman calendar as reformed by Julius Caesar. Under the Roman Empire it became the calendar used by Christian churches.
Gregorian calendar: By 1582 the Julian calendar had fallen 10 days behind the sun. Easter was falling too late in the spring. Pope Gregory XIII, with some help from Copernicus, reformed it giving us the Gregorian calendar. It became the calendar of Catholics in the 1500s, of Protestants by the 1700s (which is why George Washington has two birthdays) and of most governments worldwide by the 1900s. But not most eastern churches. In the meantime the Julian calendar has fallen 13 days behind. In 2100 will be 14 days behind.
Fasting: instead of partying, the Eastern Orthodox church recommends fasting, prayer and acts of charity as the best way to prepare one’s mind, body and soul for the day of Christ’s birth. That means not eating meat and certain other foods for the 40 days before Christmas, especially on the day of Christmas Eve till the stars come out at night. Then it is time to feast and sing Christmas carols!
The celebration can last up to three days:
- January 6th: Christmas Eve, celebrating the Birth of Christ and the Adoration of the Shepherds.
- January 7th: Christmas: celebrating the Adoration of the Magi.
- January 8th: Feast of the Theotokos, Mary as the Mother of God.
And then, on the 12th day of Christmas, is Theophany or the Baptism of Christ, called Epiphany in the West. In Armenia it is bigger than Christmas.
In Greece, Easter is a bigger holiday than Christmas.
In Russia, the world’s biggest Eastern Orthodox country, New Year’s is a bigger deal than Christmas. That is because godless communists had outlawed Christmas from 1917 to 1990. Those who celebrated it did so in secret – it was no longer a big public holiday. Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter Snow Maiden (pictured below), who used to give gifts to children on Christmas, moved their activities to New Year’s. So did many others. Christmas has since made a comeback, but New Year’s is still the bigger holiday.
– Abagond, 2017, 2018.
See also:
- Eastern Orthodox
- Christmas – the US sort
- Ramadan – a month of fasting and then a big holiday
- Gregorian calendar
- Julian calendar
- Jesus Christ
- Mary
- Copernicus
- Russia
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Abagond 
“Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter Snow Maiden”
They look suspiciously like Santa and one of his elves. Must be a European thing…I wouldn’t understand.
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@ Afrofem
A book I read several years ago (link below) maintained that Santa Claus is a remnant of the old European pagan figure of the Wild Man, which is linked to elves, the Wild Hunt, and trickster gods. Yet another case of overlaying or combining Christian figures (St. Nicholas) with older pagan deities and traditions?
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2106196.Santa_Claus_Last_of_the_Wild_Men
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Abagond, in what month was Jesus born with the Hebrew calendar in mind as opposed to the Gregorian or Julian calendars which were both spawned by mortal men?
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Hmmmm….
Interesting framing of the question.
Is the Hebrew calendar not also spawned by mortal men?
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The Hebrews were (and are) mortal men and women.
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@Solitaire
Interesting points.
Early Christian leaders worked hard to co-opt every possible public and private holiday and feast day. They certainly were not above blending in local beliefs and traditions to corral the hearts and minds of the population. Nearly every holiday has elements of older religions. That is true of the other Abrahamic faiths too.
Trickster gods? I wonder if Loki of the Norse tradition was the one who checked if the children were naughty or nice? What punishments did he mete out to the misbehaving children?
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I asked Abagond the following question: “Abagond, in what month was Jesus born with the Hebrew calendar in mind as opposed to the Gregorian or Julian calendars which were both spawned by mortal men?”
In turn, Nomad and Afrofem were gracious enough to reply and chimed in on his behalf by uttering these statements respectively:
“Hmmmm…. Interesting framing of the question. Is the Hebrew calendar not also spawned by mortal men? – Nomad
AND
“The Hebrews were (and are) mortal men and women.” – Afrofem
Hang on, … allow me to don my pedagogue cap and simultaneously clear my throat. Both of you are wrong. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that I’ve told you both on separate occasions that if you do not understand something, quit fronting and fooling yourselves as if you’re all knowing. At a minimum, at least ask a question or keep QUIET if you’re ignorant of the subject at hand!
The Hebrew calendar was not created by mortal men. It was created by the Most High when He spoke to the Black children of Israel. The Hebrew calendar is created in conjunction with movements of celestial objects, the moon and the sun, not mere mortal men who were Hebrew speaking Israelites.
When Yahawa (God) spoke to Moses, He told him to warn the children of Israel to follow all His commandments and laws as he lead them out of Egypt, or else, they’d eventually go into bondage again: Exodus 12:2 This month (Abib) shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. The month of Abib on the Hebrew calendar is towards the end of March and the beginning days of the month of April.
Doesn’t spring season symbolically represent the beginning of life of a new year? Isn’t this the time of year that leaves on the trees are turning green, plants blossom and the grass begin to turn green as well? JESUS WAS BORN IN THE SPRING, not the dead of winter, literally and metaphorically. During the month of December, do plants blossom; are the leaves on the trees green; are the grass green or brown. Well, of course, they’re all dead during the winter. Jesus represented the beginning of life, … not death!
The prophet Daniel was also divinely inspired by prophesying that there would be a certain group of boastful people who would self exalt themselves and change HIS times and the laws. These events came to pass with the so-called Julian calendar, proposed by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and again by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 when he introduced his so-called Gregorian calendar.
Daniel 7:25-26 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
As you can see here, all of the descendants of these people that changed the Most High’s time and laws will eventually be destroyed for doing so. This segue into an article by many respectable news organization in 2016 such as this one: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/01/middle-aged-white-americans-left-behind-and-dying-early/433863/ – and many more. Yes, there are consequences for obeying the Most High God of Black Israel
Abagond, I tip my hat to you because you are indeed a wise man for refusing to respond to my question. Instead, two unpaid sycophants not employed by you for obvious reasons, chose to speak for you in response and patently made themselves appear to be fools.
Afrofem and Nomad, I have a scripture for both of you, here we go: “Proverbs 17:27-28 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. 28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
Or in the alternative, a disputed quote by either Mark Twain or Abraham Lincoln: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”
Selah!
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In Glendale Ca. where many Armenians are orthodox, the school district takes off the 6th and 7th as well as the 14th for the new year.
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@blakksage
What a nonsensical reply. That is really weird. How is it wrong to ask a question? I couldn’t follow the whole screed so maybe you answered the question and I missed it. How about a simple answer this time?
Is the Hebrew calendar not also spawned by mortal men?
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PS. Don’t be so thin skinned and petty.
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Nomad said and then asked: “PS. Don’t be so thin skinned and petty.” And “How about a simple answer this time? Is the Hebrew calendar not also spawned by mortal men?”
In turn, I replied through Socrates: “Slander becomes the tool of the loser.”
PS: By the way, the answer that you seek is within my comprehensive response. It’s not a screed as you refer to it as being. Also, don’t expect me to answer your question(s) the way you want me to, this applies even more so if you’re being sarcastic.
Selah!
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“During the month of December, do plants blossom; are the leaves on the trees green; are the grass green or brown.”
Depends entirely on where you are in the world. It’s summer right now in the Southern Hemisphere.
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@blakksage
“The Hebrew calendar is created in conjunction with movements of celestial objects, the moon and the sun, not mere mortal men who were Hebrew speaking Israelites.”
The Hebrew calendar was created by mortal men and women who drew on thousands of years of observing celestial objects such as the sun, moon and planets, etc. to create a time map to fit their particular culture and belief system.
Nothing very mysterious about that, people in all cultures did the same. If the Hebrew calendar holds special significance to you, blakksage, so be it. That does not mean it holds any hallowed significance for anyone else.
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@ Blakksage,
I take from your post that you believe in a literal translation of biblical texts. Do you belive modern day Christians are under the biblical law of the old testimate ? It appears you think it’s blasphemous that other calenders other then the Hebrew are used in society because the Hebrew come directly from God.
Is your particular religious sect related to messianic judiaisim ?
.
Most modern Christians believe that religious texts are subjective in interpretation. That fluidity within Christianity keeps different sects from killing each other. I belive that tolerance is a good thing.
I don’t belive anybody has a right to judge or interfer with another’s religious belief as religion is an individuale preference. I also think that States should be neutral towards religion. It’s the actions of individuals that matter not an individuals religious affiliation.
“The prophet Daniel was also divinely inspired by prophesying that there would be a certain group of boastful people who would self exalt themselves and change HIS times and the laws.”
I view ancient texts as aligorical in interpretation.
In every age there is a boastful people who change the natural law that is common within community and usurp it to exalt and empower themselves. Traditions that stood the test of time are destroyed and replaced with a foreign idiology that attacks indigenous identiy and imposes self worth based on the image of the aggressor.
But some day the aggressors will so what they reap. Thus “until a time and times and the dividing of time.”
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comment in mod
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blakksage
I’m not reading that bs. I don’t really care enough to wade thru that. Cant be civil, don’t talk to me.
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Solitaire said: “Depends entirely on where you are in the world. It’s summer right now in the Southern Hemisphere.”
LOL! Does the continent of North America reside in the Southern Hemisphere or the Western Hemisphere?
@Solitaite, @Nomad and @Afrofem, right about now I’m beginning to yawn, all of you seem so boring. Stick around though, I’ll kick some more knowledge at another time on ABAGOND! (more chuckles and intermittent laughter, preparing for a shower)
Selah!
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When choosing symbolic times for divine birth and other miracles, does Yahawa only consider the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere?
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screed skrēd
noun
noun screed plural noun screeds
a long speech or piece of writing, typically one regarded as tedious.
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@ blakksage
I have not made a study of when Jesus was born, but the unfact-checked stuff I have heard goes like this:
1. Jews did not celebrate birthdays back then, so his birth date is probably lost to history.
2. The date of December 25th only goes back to the 300s, as far as we know, not to a time when someone might have remembered when he was born.
3. He was probably born in the spring, given the shepherds being out after nightfall.
4. The biggest clue would be the census that forced his parents to go to Bethlehem, but there is doubt whether that census even took place, at least back then.
5. He is believed to have been born in late December because the Incarnation, like the Creation and the Resurrection, are believed to have taken place in late March (early spring), if not on the first day of spring.
6. Christians chose Saturnalia as a time to celebrate Christmas to avoid persecution.
7. Christmas is warmed-over Saturnalia.
I do not vouch for the truth of any of these statements.
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Actually, Jesus was most likely born around September. How do we get to this date?
1) Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was from the priestly order of Abijah and his wife Elizabeth became pregnant with John soon after his week of service was over.
2) According 1 Chronicles 24, we know the week of service for the order of Abijah was the 10th week and that the start of the week coincided with the 2nd sabbath in the month of Sivan, which runs approximately from mid-May to mid-June. So we can reasonable place the conception of John in the month of June.
3) According to Luke’s gospel, we know that the angel Gabriel announced the conception of Jesus to Mary happened in the 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, which would be approximately in December.
4) Counting forward 9 months from December, we arrive at September. And the shepherds would still be out at night because the sheep would still be out in the pasture until early October.
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@michaeljonbarker
“I view ancient texts as aligorical in interpretation.”
Agreed. The ancients throughout the globe were sophisticated storytellers who made use of allegory and metaphor in their sacred texts.
Some people point to the laws that governed daily life of the ancient Hebrews as holy writ. I see those laws as tribal laws that may have been appropriate for ancient nomads, but not necessarily right for people today in a vastly different society. Human nature has not changed, but technology, social complexity and expectations have changed since 3000 BCE.
Some people are also unaware of the context of those ancient allegories and laws. The ancient Hebrew tribes were in constant conflict with their neighbors who had different social and belief systems. A lot of the laws were about maintaining the cohesion of the tribe and increasing their numbers and access to resources.
I believe if people today want to follow ancient laws in their personal lives, more power to them—-with two caveats:
◇ Laws that conflict with modern laws such as a literal interpretation of “an eye for an eye”, etc., should be prohibited.
◇ Ancient laws should be for consenting adults only. No one should be forced to follow ancient laws on a state or national level.
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Insightful sounds like a beautiful celebration.
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Sorry for being late here, Abagond. Thanks for covering this subject!
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For Traditional-minded Roman Catholics, the Vigil of Christmas, December 24th, is a day of fasting and abstinence from meat.
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