Orthodox Christmas: Why it’s celebrated by some believers 13 days after Dec. 25

While much of the world has Christmas in the rearview mirror by now, people in some Eastern Orthodox traditions will celebrate the holy day on Sunday. Certain Eastern Orthodox churches, including those in Russian and other traditions, follow the ancient Julian calendar, which runs 13 days later than the Gregorian calendar, used by Catholic and Protestant churches as well as by much of the secular world for everyday use.

Quick Read

Here are the key points about the celebration of Christmas in different Eastern Orthodox traditions:

1. Different Calendars: Some Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by most of the world. This results in different dates for Christmas celebrations.
2. Julian vs. Gregorian Calendar: The Julian calendar was used by the ancient church for setting religious feasts but became misaligned with the solar year over time. The Gregorian calendar, introduced in the 16th century by Pope Gregory XIII, corrected these discrepancies.
3. Adoption of Revised Julian Calendar: In 1923, many Eastern Orthodox churches adopted a revised Julian calendar that aligns more closely with the Gregorian calendar. This includes most Greek Orthodox, Romanian, and Bulgarian churches.
4. Russian Orthodox Church: The Russian Orthodox Church, the largest in Eastern Orthodoxy, along with Serbian, Georgian, and some other Orthodox churches, still follows the old Julian calendar, observing Christmas on January 7th.
5. Ukraine’s Political Dimensions: In Ukraine, the date of Christmas has political implications. The government declared December 25th as Christmas to assert cultural independence from Russia. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine celebrates on December 25th, while the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, with ties to Moscow, observes January 7th.
6. Observances in North America: In the United States, the date of Christmas observance varies even within Eastern Orthodox traditions. Some celebrate on December 25th, while others, especially those in the Slavic tradition, observe it on January 7th. The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese allows parishes to choose their date.
7. Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa’s Experience: Metropolitan Gregory, leader of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, mentions the unique situation of celebrating Christmas twice due to the different calendars.
8. Eastern Orthodox Christmas Traditions: The main worship service typically occurs on the night before Christmas. In Serbian Orthodox churches, this may include an outdoor ceremony with the burning of an oak branch or young oak tree, symbolizing the proclamation of Christ’s birth.

The Associated Press has the story:

Orthodox Christmas: Why it’s celebrated by some believers 13 days after Dec. 25

Newslooks- (AP)

While much of the world has Christmas in the rearview mirror by now, people in some Eastern Orthodox traditions will celebrate the holy day on Sunday.

Certain Eastern Orthodox churches, including those in Russian and other traditions, follow the ancient Julian calendar, which runs 13 days later than the Gregorian calendar, used by Catholic and Protestant churches as well as by much of the secular world for everyday use.

Other Orthodox, including those in the Greek tradition and, now, some Ukrainian churches, celebrate Christmas on the same date as Western churches.Why are there different dates for Christmas?

Technically, there aren’t. All Eastern Orthodox agree that Dec. 25 is the date of Christmas, or the Feast of the Nativity, as they call it. The question is whether Dec. 25 falls on Dec. 25 or Jan. 7. That requires a little unpacking.

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. Protestant churches eventually followed the Catholic lead in adopting the calendar, as did secular governments.

All Eastern Orthodox kept to the old calendar until 1923, when an inter-Orthodox gathering adopted a revised Julian calendar that essentially mirrors the Gregorian. Most (but not all) churches in the Greek Orthodox tradition have adopted this, as have those in Romanian, Bulgarian and other traditions.

But the Russian Orthodox Church, the largest communion in Eastern Orthodoxy, has stayed on the old calendar, observing Christmas on Jan. 7 on the new calendar, as have Serbian, Georgian and some other Orthodox.Complications in Ukraine

In Ukraine, which traditionally has observed Christmas on Jan. 7, the matter has taken on political dimensions in a time of war and schism. The government of Ukraine declared Dec. 25 to be Christmas in an assertion of national identity and cultural independence from Russia and its associations with the later date. The newer Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which received recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 2019, observed Christmas on Dec. 25. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church — which claims independence but has historic ties to Moscow and faces an effective ban in pending legislation — is observing Christmas on Jan. 7.What about North America?

In the United States, observances vary — even within traditions. Churches in the Greek and Antiochian traditions, along with the Orthodox Church in America, observed Christmas on Dec. 25. Some churches in the Slavic tradition, including Serbian and smaller Russian churches, will observe it Jan. 7.

In the small American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America — with roots in present-day Ukraine and Slovakia — parishes can choose their date. About a third are on the new calendar.

“I have the difficulty or excitement of celebrating twice,” said its leader, Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa, based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Some parishes are observing Theophany (Epiphany) on Saturday, marking Jesus’ baptism, while others will be celebrating his birth the following day.How do Eastern Orthodox observe Christmas?

Traditions vary, but typically the big worship service is the night before — this year on Saturday night. In Serbian Orthodox churches, worship often begins with a short outdoor ceremony involving the burning of an oak branch or young oak tree, accompanied by a full-throated proclamation of the birth of Christ.

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