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See Also
See Again
© Getty Images
0 / 30 Fotos
How it all started
- In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar Catholics and Protestants use to celebrate Christmas on December 25.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
The Gregorian Reform
- The reason for the Gregorian Reform was to make sure that Easter, the Church's most important festival, always fell around the spring equinox in response to a gradual time drift that was occurring under the Julian calendar.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
The use of the Julian calendar
- However, Orthodox Christians, excluding the Greek Orthodox Church, which adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1923, and Ukraine, still use the Julian calendar to this day.
© Getty Images
3 / 30 Fotos
Julian calendar
- The Julian calendar is a solar calendar that was implemented in 46 BCE by Julius Caesar. It's a whole 13 days later than its Gregorian counterpart.
© Getty Images
4 / 30 Fotos
A miscalculation
- The almost two-week gap was caused by a slight miscalculation when the Julian calendar was first implemented.
© Getty Images
5 / 30 Fotos
A greater gap
- This miscalculation is actually leading the gap to fall more and more out of sync with the solar year as the centuries pass.
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
A new date for Orthodox Christmas
- As a result, Orthodox Christmas will eventually fall on January 8 by the year 2100.
© Getty Images
7 / 30 Fotos
Orthodox Christmas today
- For now, starting on January 6, Orthodox Christians, both in Eastern Europe and Ethiopia, traditionally fast until the first star appears in the night sky, symbolizing the birth of Jesus.
© Getty Images
8 / 30 Fotos
Traditional greetings
- It is traditional to greet friends and family with "Christ is born!" and reply with "Glory to him!" or "He truly is born!"
© Getty Images
9 / 30 Fotos
Not to be confused with the day of the Epiphany
- The January 6 celebrations are not to be confused with the day of the Epiphany, which is celebrated by Christians following the Gregorian calendar to mark the physical manifestation of Jesus.
© Getty Images
10 / 30 Fotos
Day the three wise men appeared
- January 6 is also the day the three wise men appeared in Bethlehem following Jesus' birth. This is most notably celebrated in Spain as El día de Los Reyes Magos.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Orthodox Christmas Eve meal
- The Orthodox Christmas Eve meal is traditionally meat- and alcohol-free, usually consisting of 12 dishes representing the 12 apostles.
© Shutterstock
12 / 30 Fotos
Christmas porridge
- In some parts of the Orthodox world, one of the staple foods is kutia, a cold porridge-like dish made out of whole wheat, poppy seeds, raisins, walnuts, and honey.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
Christmas Day
- Christmas Day on January 7 starts with a visit to church. Some Orthodox Christians prefer to go to a midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
Midnight mass
- The All-Night Vigil involves the celebration of Matins, the hour which is traditionally observed at midnight.
© Getty Images
15 / 30 Fotos
No gifts on Christmas Day
- Contrary to Western Christmases, it's not customary to give presents in the Orthodox tradition.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
But there are gifts on other days
- However, Orthodox Christians usually hand out gifts on December 19, Saint Nicholas Day, or on New Year's Eve on December 31.
© Getty Images
17 / 30 Fotos
New Year's Eve gift exchange
- In Orthodox Christian countries in Europe, the custom of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve stems from the communist era. Back then, authorities believed a more secular holiday would take precedence over a religious one.
© Getty Images
18 / 30 Fotos
Julian calendar for the festivities
- While Orthodox Christian countries in Europe use the Gregorian calendar, the faithful often revert to the Julian calendar for the religious festivities.
© Getty Images
19 / 30 Fotos
The Julian calendar New Year
- According to the Julian calendar, the New Year is between January 13 and 14, with the day of the Epiphany taking place on January 19.
© Getty Images
20 / 30 Fotos
An Epiphany tradition
- In countries that adopted the Gregorian calendar, like Bulgaria and Greece, priests will often throw crucifixes in rivers and lakes on the day of the Epiphany.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
Dive for the cross
- Then, men will dive into the cold water to retrieve the cross. The ceremony is meant to symbolize Jesus' baptism.
© Getty Images
22 / 30 Fotos
Orthodox Christmas in Ethiopia
- Christmas is celebrated on January 7 in Ethiopia, with women wearing a thin white cotton garment called a netela. On Christmas Eve, Ethiopian Christians attend an overnight church service, usually starting around 6 pm and finishing at 3 am.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
Ethiopian pilgrimages
- In Ethiopia, people line up surrounding a church and begin a long, looping procession around it. The holiday attracts pilgrimages to the 11 Lalibela Churches.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Orthodox Christianity in the Middle East
- Orthodox Christianity is the most common form of Christianity in the Middle East, with a majority living in Egypt and the Levant. The night before Christmas Day, on January 6, a church service takes place until midnight. After the service, people share a specific type of bread called qurban. The bread is marked with 12 dots, symbolizing the 12 apostles.
© Getty Images
25 / 30 Fotos
Christmas Eve morning in the Western Balkans
- Across the Western Balkans, predominantly amongst Serbians, Orthodox Christians mark Christmas Eve morning by going to the woods to chop down part of an oak tree, commonly referred to as a badnjak.
© Getty Images
26 / 30 Fotos
Badnjak
- The badnjak is then brought home, with most of it set on fire. A branch with leaves is used for decoration.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
Ukrainian street performance
- In Ukraine, the period between January 6 and 19 is a time for vertep, a puppet theater street performance based on the nativity.
© Getty Images
28 / 30 Fotos
Vertep
- Vertep is accompanied by singing and dancing, and has links to pagan, pre-Christian traditions. Sources: (Euronews) (CNN) (Time) See also: Traditional Christmas dishes from around the world
© Getty Images
29 / 30 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 30 Fotos
How it all started
- In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar Catholics and Protestants use to celebrate Christmas on December 25.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
The Gregorian Reform
- The reason for the Gregorian Reform was to make sure that Easter, the Church's most important festival, always fell around the spring equinox in response to a gradual time drift that was occurring under the Julian calendar.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
The use of the Julian calendar
- However, Orthodox Christians, excluding the Greek Orthodox Church, which adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1923, and Ukraine, still use the Julian calendar to this day.
© Getty Images
3 / 30 Fotos
Julian calendar
- The Julian calendar is a solar calendar that was implemented in 46 BCE by Julius Caesar. It's a whole 13 days later than its Gregorian counterpart.
© Getty Images
4 / 30 Fotos
A miscalculation
- The almost two-week gap was caused by a slight miscalculation when the Julian calendar was first implemented.
© Getty Images
5 / 30 Fotos
A greater gap
- This miscalculation is actually leading the gap to fall more and more out of sync with the solar year as the centuries pass.
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
A new date for Orthodox Christmas
- As a result, Orthodox Christmas will eventually fall on January 8 by the year 2100.
© Getty Images
7 / 30 Fotos
Orthodox Christmas today
- For now, starting on January 6, Orthodox Christians, both in Eastern Europe and Ethiopia, traditionally fast until the first star appears in the night sky, symbolizing the birth of Jesus.
© Getty Images
8 / 30 Fotos
Traditional greetings
- It is traditional to greet friends and family with "Christ is born!" and reply with "Glory to him!" or "He truly is born!"
© Getty Images
9 / 30 Fotos
Not to be confused with the day of the Epiphany
- The January 6 celebrations are not to be confused with the day of the Epiphany, which is celebrated by Christians following the Gregorian calendar to mark the physical manifestation of Jesus.
© Getty Images
10 / 30 Fotos
Day the three wise men appeared
- January 6 is also the day the three wise men appeared in Bethlehem following Jesus' birth. This is most notably celebrated in Spain as El día de Los Reyes Magos.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Orthodox Christmas Eve meal
- The Orthodox Christmas Eve meal is traditionally meat- and alcohol-free, usually consisting of 12 dishes representing the 12 apostles.
© Shutterstock
12 / 30 Fotos
Christmas porridge
- In some parts of the Orthodox world, one of the staple foods is kutia, a cold porridge-like dish made out of whole wheat, poppy seeds, raisins, walnuts, and honey.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
Christmas Day
- Christmas Day on January 7 starts with a visit to church. Some Orthodox Christians prefer to go to a midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
Midnight mass
- The All-Night Vigil involves the celebration of Matins, the hour which is traditionally observed at midnight.
© Getty Images
15 / 30 Fotos
No gifts on Christmas Day
- Contrary to Western Christmases, it's not customary to give presents in the Orthodox tradition.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
But there are gifts on other days
- However, Orthodox Christians usually hand out gifts on December 19, Saint Nicholas Day, or on New Year's Eve on December 31.
© Getty Images
17 / 30 Fotos
New Year's Eve gift exchange
- In Orthodox Christian countries in Europe, the custom of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve stems from the communist era. Back then, authorities believed a more secular holiday would take precedence over a religious one.
© Getty Images
18 / 30 Fotos
Julian calendar for the festivities
- While Orthodox Christian countries in Europe use the Gregorian calendar, the faithful often revert to the Julian calendar for the religious festivities.
© Getty Images
19 / 30 Fotos
The Julian calendar New Year
- According to the Julian calendar, the New Year is between January 13 and 14, with the day of the Epiphany taking place on January 19.
© Getty Images
20 / 30 Fotos
An Epiphany tradition
- In countries that adopted the Gregorian calendar, like Bulgaria and Greece, priests will often throw crucifixes in rivers and lakes on the day of the Epiphany.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
Dive for the cross
- Then, men will dive into the cold water to retrieve the cross. The ceremony is meant to symbolize Jesus' baptism.
© Getty Images
22 / 30 Fotos
Orthodox Christmas in Ethiopia
- Christmas is celebrated on January 7 in Ethiopia, with women wearing a thin white cotton garment called a netela. On Christmas Eve, Ethiopian Christians attend an overnight church service, usually starting around 6 pm and finishing at 3 am.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
Ethiopian pilgrimages
- In Ethiopia, people line up surrounding a church and begin a long, looping procession around it. The holiday attracts pilgrimages to the 11 Lalibela Churches.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Orthodox Christianity in the Middle East
- Orthodox Christianity is the most common form of Christianity in the Middle East, with a majority living in Egypt and the Levant. The night before Christmas Day, on January 6, a church service takes place until midnight. After the service, people share a specific type of bread called qurban. The bread is marked with 12 dots, symbolizing the 12 apostles.
© Getty Images
25 / 30 Fotos
Christmas Eve morning in the Western Balkans
- Across the Western Balkans, predominantly amongst Serbians, Orthodox Christians mark Christmas Eve morning by going to the woods to chop down part of an oak tree, commonly referred to as a badnjak.
© Getty Images
26 / 30 Fotos
Badnjak
- The badnjak is then brought home, with most of it set on fire. A branch with leaves is used for decoration.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
Ukrainian street performance
- In Ukraine, the period between January 6 and 19 is a time for vertep, a puppet theater street performance based on the nativity.
© Getty Images
28 / 30 Fotos
Vertep
- Vertep is accompanied by singing and dancing, and has links to pagan, pre-Christian traditions. Sources: (Euronews) (CNN) (Time) See also: Traditional Christmas dishes from around the world
© Getty Images
29 / 30 Fotos
Merry Christmas! (At least in these countries)
Millions of Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas in January
© Getty Images
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.
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