What is Orthodox Christmas? What is the significance of it? It doesn’t follow the normal calendar like we do, which is why it’s in January instead of December. Due to the calendar that most Western societies use, which is the Gregorian Calendar, Christmas appears in January.
Orthodox Christmas is celebrated by churches in Greek and Antiochain (which is specified as the “Orthodox Christians believe in one God who is revealed to them in scripture as the Holy Trinity. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the unbegotten creator of everything. God is three distinct persons who maintain one essence of nature. Jesus Christ is the son of God, the Lord, the Savior of mankind. That is celebrated on the Gregorian calendar, which appears as December 25th. In Slavic countries such as Russia, it appears to be on January 7th due to the fact churches use a different calendar. The orthodox chruches use the Julian calendar still, They celebrate it by holding a large grand worship service the night before Christmas, and fast before a big meal is served.
What is the difference between the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar? The Julain calendar is defined as “a calendar introduced by the authority of Julius Caesar in 46 BC, in which the year consisted of 365 days, every fourth year having 366 days. It was superseded by the Gregorian calendar though it is still used by some Orthodox Churches. Dates in the Julian calendar are sometimes designated “old style”. The Gregorian calendar is defined as “the calendar introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, as a modification of the Julian calendar.” Many countries use the Gregorian calendar. Orthodox churches and a few church-lead countries still use the Julian calendar.
With the varying time changes in the world and the different calendars that countries and churches use, it can be difficult to keep track of everything. Everyone has different customs, and people do multiple things. The best we can do to learn about it is to respect it.
