Merry Christmas to all who celebrate on this day! Wishing you peace, joy, and all the best the holiday has to offer.
Christmas in Russia is most widely celebrated on January 7, according to the Orthodox calendar. New Year’s Day, January 1st, precedes the Russian Christmas and is often celebrated as a more important holiday. However, some Russians observe two Christmases and even two New Year’s – the first Christmas observed on December 25th, and the second New Year’s observed on January 14th. Any public trees, like the Christmas Tree in Moscow’s Red Square, will also serve as a symbol of the New Year.
According to Russian News agency Itar-Tass, 87% of Russians will celebrate Christmas today, with only six per cent having already celebrated on 25 December.
In the days of the Soviet Union, Christmas was not celebrated very much. New Year was the important time. Now Christmas is celebrated normally on the January 7th (only a few Catholics might celebrate it on the 25th December). The date is different because the Russian Orthodox church uses the old ‘Julian’ calendar for religious celebration days.
The Georgian, Serbian, and Jerusalem Orthodox churches, as well as rival churches in Ukraine, are among Orthodox and Eastern Rite churches that celebrate Christmas on January 7, using the Julian calendar.
