Orthodox Christmas 2025 is on Tuesday, January 7, 2025: Orthodox Christmas - a question?

Tuesday, January 7, 2025 is Orthodox Christmas 2025.

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Orthodox Christmas - a question?

Yes most Orthodox Christians follow the old Julian calendar for religious holidays. It is the Julian calendar which is now 13 days ahead of the modern or Gregorian calendar. Thus, Christmas falls on December 25 in the Julian calendar, even though its not correct. The Julian calendar is ahead (and wrong) because it doesn't remove leap years on the years divisible by 100 but not divisable by 400.

This is also why they have easter on different dates, because Easter correctly falls on the Sunday after the full moon after the spring equinox in Gregorian, but not for Julian.

Hopefully someday they will move to the Gregorian otherwise Christmas will be on January 8 after 2100 and so on.

What is the day Eastern Orthodox celebrates Christmas?

What is the day Eastern Orthodox celebrates Christmas?

Eastern Orthodox Christmas is January 7th. Christmas Eve would be Jan. 6th. (3 Kings Day)

What do Orthodox Christians do at Christmas?

What do Orthodox Christians do at Christmas?

Peace be with you,

This question is somewhat complex as the Greeks use the New Julian Calendar whereas if I recall correctly the Ukrainians use the old Julian Calendar. (So you're aware I converted to the Coptic Orthodox Church which has never changed the calendar.)

All Christians agree that Christmas is on the 25th of December.

The Greeks celebrate on the same day as the West. The West uses the Gregorian calendar but the date is still the same.

However on the traditional Julian Calendar the 25th of December doesn't arrive until the 7th of January on the Gregorian calendar.

As such, you may like to check which they celebrate or even if they celebrate twice (considering the ethnic mix)?

Generally, Orthodox Christians will celebrate differently depending upon their own nationalistic traditions.

Nonetheless, the events within the Church should still be basically the same.

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, we gather at the Church on Christmas Eve and the liturgy ends around midnight at which time the Nativity Feast begins.

Also on this date Tuesday, January 7, 2025...