Merry Christmas! (At least in these countries)
Millions of Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas in January
LIFESTYLE Holidays
For much of the Western world, Christmas is celebrated on December 25, according to the Gregorian calendar. However, Orthodox Christians follow the Julian calendar and have their Christmas on January 7 instead. Almost two weeks after their Western counterparts have already feasted and rung in the New Year, the Julian calendar marks the birth of Jesus Christ on a different day.
Indeed, for several countries in Europe, including Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro, Russia, Belarus, parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and African countries such as Egypt and Ethiopia, January 6 is Christmas Eve.
Intrigued? To learn more about Orthodox Christmas, click on and check out this gallery.