Orthodox and Catholic Christmas - what is the difference.

Orthodox Christmas is 13 days behind Catholic Christmas. This happened due to the confusion of calendars: in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new, “Gregorian” calendar, which was called the “new style”. The old Julian calendar began to be called the old style. The difference between the new and old style increases by 1 day every hundred years and in the 20th century. is 13 days.

While the new Gregorian calendar appeared in Europe, Russia continued to use the Julian calendar. When in 1918 the authorities introduced the Gregorian calendar in the Soviet Union, the church did not approve of such a decision.

In 1923, on the initiative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, a meeting of the Orthodox Churches was held, at which a decision was made to correct the Julian calendar - thus, the “New Julian” calendar appeared.

Due to historical circumstances, the Russian Orthodox Church was unable to take part in it. Having learned about the meeting in Constantinople, the Patriarch...

Christmas is one of the most important Christian holidays, established in honor of the birth of the baby Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. But why is one event celebrated on different days?...Although Russians and Catholic Christmas are happy to celebrate “ours.” I asked my family and friends - what is the difference? And it turned out that few people know =)
But in fact, the holiday is the same, but the discrepancy is in the date and styles (Julian and Gregorian).

And in our time, Orthodox Christmas “lags” behind Catholic Christmas by 13 days; Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25, and Orthodox Christians on January 7.

This was due to a mix-up of calendars. The Julian calendar, introduced into use in 46 BC....

Christmas is one of the most important Christian holidays, established in honor of the birth of the baby Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Christmas is celebrated in many countries around the world, only the dates vary.

Catholics and Protestants living according to the Gregorian calendar, as well as local Orthodox churches of the world adhering to the New Julian calendar, celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of Christ on the night of December 24-25.

The Roman Church established December 25 as the date for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ after the victory of Constantine the Great (c. 320 or 353). Already from the end of the 4th century. the entire Christian world celebrated Christmas on this day (with the exception of the eastern churches, where this holiday was celebrated on January 6).

And in our time...

And in our time, Orthodox Christmas “lags” behind Catholic Christmas by 13 days; Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25, and Orthodox on January 7.

This was due to a mix-up of calendars. The Julian calendar, introduced in...

Why don't the Christmas dates match?

Christmas is a great holiday established in remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Christmas is one of the most important Christian holidays and a public holiday in more than 100 countries around the world.

The first information about Christians celebrating Christmas dates back to the 4th century. The question of the real date of birth of Jesus Christ is controversial and ambiguously resolved among church authors.

According to one of the modern hypotheses, the choice of the date of Christmas occurred due to the simultaneous celebration by early Christians of the Incarnation (the conception of Christ) and Easter. Accordingly, as a result of adding nine months to this date (March 25), Christmas fell on the winter solstice.

Song to set the mood:

As you know, in Catholic countries Christmas is celebrated on December 25, and in (most) Orthodox countries it is celebrated on January 7. This is due to the fact that the Orthodox churches have not yet switched to the Gregorian calendar, according to which the whole world lives. The Orthodox still live according to the Julian.

In the Julian calendar, leap years are all years divisible by 4 (average length of a year = 365.25 days). In Gregorian years, multiples of 100, but not multiples of 400, are not leap years (average length of a year = 365.2425 days).

Different countries switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in different ways; the Swedes even once happened on February 30th due to the forgetfulness of the authorities. Wikipedia has a lot of fun facts about the transition, read it.

Here are a couple of quotes from there:

In many temples, according to the creators' plans, on the day of the vernal equinox the Sun should hit a certain place, for example, in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome - this is a mosaic.
…

05.03.2015

In fact, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated by both Orthodox and Catholics on December 25, the only difference is in the style of the calendar - new or old. The Orthodox continue to traditionally use chronology in determining church holidays, which was adopted back in the period when Jesus was born. This calendar was adopted on January 1, 45 BC. Julius Caesar, and for this reason it is called Julian. The Roman Catholic Church made many changes to Christian teaching, which created differences and even contradictions in religious rituals with the Orthodox (Orthodox) branch of Christianity.

Thus, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII, succumbing to the conviction of “scientists”, mainly Jesuits, that the Julian calendar, approved as proper for implementation by the Council of Nicea in 325, was “out of date” by several minutes, or rather by 11 minutes and a few seconds and by the middle of the 16th century a difference of 10 days “formed”. The Pope gave instructions to correct the calendar, and people...

The Nativity of Christ is one of the main spiritual Orthodox holidays, which is celebrated on December 25 by Catholics and January 7 by Orthodox.

Both religions celebrate Christmas Eve - the evening before Christmas night (Jesus was born at night - hence another legend about the Star of Bethlehem.) The name in Russian comes from the word sochivo - wheat grains soaked in berry juice or honey. The holiday of Christmas itself is the date of breaking the fast - liberation from fasting and indulgence in gluttony.

What is the difference between Catholic and Orthodox Christmas?

date

The discrepancy between the celebration of the Nativity of Christ by Western and Eastern churches is explained by the different chronology systems they adopted. After the new Gregorian calendar was compiled in the West, Catholics and Protestants began to celebrate Christmas two weeks earlier than the Orthodox. We draw the attention of readers to the fact that the date is actually the same, and the difference is in the calendar.

Catholics...

Catholics invented and adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1582. Pope Gregory XIII pulled it off. There was a reform plan before him, but they didn’t decide before him.

This was done so that the astronomical days of the spring equinox corresponded to the calendar days. And they gradually diverged, since the length of the year in the Julian calendar did not exactly correspond to the real length of the year (in the Gregorian calendar the inaccuracy is much less).

The date of the vernal equinox is decisive for the date of Easter celebration.

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon, which occurs no earlier than the spring equinox. This is due to the sequence of gospel events.

This is where the problems begin.

The fact is that initially each local church and even individual communities themselves determined the specific date for celebrating Easter. Why is that?

Pay attention to the word full moon in the verbal formula of Paschal. Jews, like others...

Why do Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on different days?

the unknown about the known

Catholics and Protestants living according to the Gregorian calendar, as well as local Orthodox churches of the world adhering to the New Julian calendar, celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of Christ on the night of December 24-25. The Orthodox, as you know, will celebrate it from January 6 to 7.

The Roman Church established December 25 as the date for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ after the victory of Constantine the Great (c. 320 or 353). Already from the end

IV century the entire Christian world celebrated Christmas on this day (with the exception of the eastern churches, where this holiday was celebrated on January 6).

And in our time...

Let's start with the fact that the differences are in the details, and the similarities are in the essence of this great and bright holiday. The Savior has appeared to the world! And it doesn’t matter what year or what day. The entire Christian world - Orthodox and Catholic - glorifies this event, rejoices at it and becomes, albeit temporarily, kinder and more merciful.

When and where did Christmas appear?

There are several versions of when exactly Jesus Christ was born. There is a theory that it was not even in winter, but at the end of spring - on May 20. The originator of this theory, so unusual for ordinary people, is Clement of Alexandria. According to his very ancient writings, the baby Jesus was born on May 20, according to the current calendar style.

Fact: the time interval for the birth date of the miraculous baby ranges between 12 BC. e. and 7 AD

Historians unanimously agree on one fact: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in a manger, that is, in a barn in which cattle are kept. The baby's mother is Maria. And the father -…

Can an Orthodox Christian celebrate Catholic Christmas?

How should an Orthodox person feel about Catholic Christmas? Is it possible to celebrate it?

Christmas is the same for everyone. But Catholics celebrate it according to the Gregorian calendar, and we Orthodox Christians celebrate it according to the Julian calendar. On December 25, the Orthodox still celebrate the Nativity Fast.

You should not celebrate Christmas on December 25th on purpose, when there is no special reason for it. But, for example, if there are Catholics in your family, why not rejoice with them on the Savior’s Birthday. Or if you find yourself in a Catholic country: there is no need to shy away from general rejoicing, because people glorify Christ. But there is no need to abandon our tradition in favor of the Catholic one - we have January 7 to celebrate the Nativity of Christ together with almost the entire Orthodox world.

It is important to determine: what exactly is Christmas for us? It's not just about sliding down the slides and gifts under the tree. This is primarily worship and Communion as...

The Nativity of Christ is celebrated on December 25 not only by Catholics, but also by Orthodox Christians in a number of countries around the world, Lutherans and other Protestant denominations. The Russian Orthodox Church and a number of other churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th. Amitel news agency found out why this happened. The fact is that Catholics and Orthodox Christians, when celebrating Christmas, use different calendars. Catholics - Gregorian, Orthodox - Julian. However, any calendar is imperfect. The discrepancy between astronomical time and calendar time has always been a “stumbling block”.

The Catholic Church carried out a reform with the restoration of the date of the vernal equinox - March 21. The author of the project was the Italian doctor, mathematician and astronomer Alogius Lilio, but the introduced calendar was called Gregorian, after the name of the one who carried out this reform - Pope Gregory XIII.

The Pope removed 10 days from the year (from October 4 to October 14), and also introduced a rule according to which in the future, out of every 400 years from the calendar, the calendar for...

Christmas is one of the main holidays of Christianity.
But different countries celebrate it differently. Why and how does Catholic Christmas differ from Orthodox Christmas?

In fact, there is only one Christmas, and it is celebrated at the same time - December 25th. But according to different calendars...
When, back in Soviet times, we were told about Catholic and Orthodox Christmas, in our heads it was mixed with mention of the Old and New styles. No one particularly delved into this, and Christmas as a public holiday has never been celebrated in the memory of the modern generation, like, for example, the New Year.
It was a full day's work.

Yes, there were services in the church, carousing with a candle, but it was all somehow frivolous and superficial.
At the same time, in Western films we saw the importance attached to Christmas as a holiday. The holiday is not so much religious as it is family.
We laughed at their comedies and didn't quite understand why they were celebrating this...

What is the "correct" date for Christmas?

December 25 in Russia is called “Catholic Christmas,” which is not entirely true - after all, on the same day, the Nativity of Christ is celebrated by all Local Orthodox Churches that have switched to the New Julian calendar, and by numerous Protestants. Perhaps it’s time for the Russian Church to switch to a new style and celebrate Christmas along with the entire Western world?

Despite the fact that the Roman Catholic Church and a number of Local Orthodox Churches - Constantinople, Greece, Cyprus and others - celebrate the Nativity of Christ on the same day, December 25, Catholics and Orthodox Christians live according to different calendars. The Roman Catholic Church and various Protestant denominations follow the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII on October 4, 1582 to replace the old Julian calendar: the day after Thursday, October 4, became Friday, October 15. Orthodox Local Churches, with the exception of the Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Jerusalem and Holy...

Catholics invented and adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1582. Pope Gregory XIII pulled it off. There was a reform plan before him, but they didn’t decide before him.

The date of the vernal equinox is decisive for the date of Easter celebration.

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon, which occurs no earlier than the spring equinox. This is due to the sequence of gospel events.

This is where the problems begin.

The fact is that initially each local church and even individual communities themselves determined the specific date for celebrating Easter. Why is that?

Pay attention to the word full moon in the verbal formula of Paschal. The Jews, like other ancient cultures, tried to combine the solar annual circle with the lunar one. What is it and where does it come from - briefly here:

And by the time of the Nativity of Christ, the Romans had already realized that it was impossible to create an ideal lunar-solar calendar and decided to focus only on the length of the solar year. This was done by the same famous Julius Caesar, from where the calendar began to be called the Julian. The authors of the calendar are Alexandrian (this is Egypt) scientists led by Sosigenes. The relationship between months and phases of the Moon, which gave rise to the concept of months, was neglected - now full moons and new moons do not fall on the same days of the month. The problem is that the lunar cycle (~29.5 days) does not fit into the solar cycle (~365.2425 days).

Now we remember that to determine the date of Easter we need data about the full moon.

The Jews in those days acted simply - they largely used direct observations.

What should Christian communities scattered in different distant cities do? The goal is to celebrate Easter on one day (it must be said that this good goal was not always achieved due to politics). How to make direct observations (and there is also the weather factor, and there may not be an understanding person)? Having decided on a date, how do you get confirmation from everyone that they agree with this decision based on observation?

This is where the decision is made to take the Julian calendar as a basis, and create the simplest possible formula that will take into account full moons, which are not in the calendar (full moons do not fall on the same numbers of months every month, every year). According to this formula, even on a foreign side, only having a calendar and the year number will a person know when to celebrate Easter with everyone else.

This formula was found in Alexandria. It was based on the fact that in 433 BC. The Athenian astronomer Meton found that every 19 years the lunar cycle ends on the same day of the solar year. That is, the full moon once every 19 years again falls on the same number of months.

So, from about the fourth century A.D. Most churches agree to calculate the date of Easter using this formula. Christmas is celebrated simply on December 25th.

In fact, everything is more complicated and Rome preferred to use its Paschal formula even then. Sometimes it was possible to agree on dates 50 years in advance.

Now let's return to the calendar reform. The compilers of the Julian calendar were aware of its inaccuracy, but considered the simplicity of the calendar more important and did not take into account the importance for calendars of continuous counting. That is, they believed that if they wanted, people would simply reform the calendar again and that’s it (as was often done in Ancient Rome). And by the time of the Gregorian reform, people had already lived with one calendar for 1500 years and fell in love with stability :) Therefore, the reform of the Pope was risky and, indeed, it took a very long time to switch to a new calendar, not only Russia took a long time to get ready.

Having reformed the calendar and shifted the dates to take into account the error that had occurred (the real and calendar equinox), the Pope also introduced a new formula for Paschal. But the Orthodox churches did not accept it, since they preferred to continue to calculate the date using the formula uniformly accepted in Orthodoxy. The date of Easter for Catholics and Orthodox Christians often did not coincide before, but now other holidays have diverged - Christmas, Epiphany and others with a fixed date according to the calendar.

Today the situation has become especially interesting. The current Pope Francis this spring (2015) made a sensational statement (but not formalized in the form of an official decision or proposal) that for the sake of unity in the celebration of Easter, Catholics are ready to accept the Orthodox Easter and do not consider it somehow incorrect. This proposal is difficult to discuss, because, in principle, if so, then nothing is required from the Orthodox, Catholics can join and that’s good. Those. this is in fact some kind of diplomatic statement in which both Rome and Byzantium are masters.

Orthodox Christians in Russia celebrate Christmas on January 7, and the date of Catholic Christmas is December 25. Why do holiday dates differ by 13 days? This happened due to the adoption of different calendars: in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new, “Gregorian” calendar, which was called the “new style”. The old Julian calendar began to be called the old style. The difference between the new and old style increases by 1 day every hundred years and in the 20th century. is 13 days.

Due to historical circumstances, the Russian Orthodox Church was unable to take part in it. Having learned about the meeting in Constantinople, Patriarch Tikhon nevertheless issued a decree on the transition to the “New Julian” calendar. But this caused protests among the church people, and the decree was canceled less than a month later. Thus, Catholics and Protestants living according to the Gregorian calendar celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of Christ on the night of December 24-25.

On the night of January 6-7, the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated by the Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian, Ukrainian and Serbian Orthodox Churches, Athos monasteries living according to the old Julian calendar, as well as many Catholics of the Eastern rite (in particular, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) and part of Russian Protestants.

All the other 11 Local Orthodox Churches of the world celebrate the Nativity of Christ, like Catholics, on the night of December 24-25, since they use the so-called “New Julian”, which so far coincides with the Gregorian.

The Feast of the Nativity of Christ has five days of pre-celebration (from December 20 to 24) and six days of post-celebration. On the eve or day of the eve of the holiday (December 24), a particularly strict fast is observed, called Christmas Eve, since on this day wheat or barley grains boiled with honey are eaten. According to tradition, the Christmas Eve fast ends with the appearance of the first evening star in the sky. On the eve of the holiday, Old Testament prophecies and events related to the Nativity of the Savior are remembered. Christmas services are performed three times: at midnight, at dawn and during the day, which symbolizes the Nativity of Christ in the bosom of God the Father, in the womb of the Mother of God and in the soul of every Christian.

In the 13th century, during the time of St. Francis of Assisi, the custom arose of displaying in churches for worship a manger in which a figurine of the Infant Jesus was placed. Over time, mangers began to be placed before Christmas not only in churches, but also in homes. Homemade santons - models in glass boxes depict a grotto, and the baby Jesus lies in a manger. Next to him are the Mother of God, Joseph, an angel, shepherds who came to worship, as well as animals - a bull and a donkey. Entire scenes from folk life are also depicted: for example, peasants in folk costumes are placed next to the holy family.

During the celebration of Christmas, a custom has been established to break “Christmas bread” - special unleavened wafers consecrated in churches during Advent - and eat it both before the festive meal and during greetings and congratulations to each other on the holiday.

A characteristic element of the Christmas holiday is the custom of installing decorated spruce trees in homes. This pagan tradition originated among the Germanic peoples, in whose rituals the spruce was a symbol of life and fertility. With the spread of Christianity among the peoples of Central and Northern Europe, the spruce tree decorated with multi-colored balls acquired new symbolism: it began to be installed in homes on December 24, as a symbol of the tree of paradise with abundant fruits.

Christmas is considered a significant holiday for Christians around the world. This event marks the birth of the baby Jesus Christ in the ancient city of Bethlehem.

This date is celebrated by representatives of different directions and confessions, including Catholics and Orthodox Christians. The celebration is similar in many ways, because it is united by one event, but there are also some distinctive features.

What is the difference between celebrating Christmas in Western countries and here?

5 main differences between Christmas for Catholics and Orthodox Christians

Western Christmas is also celebrated slightly differently among Catholics and Protestants, as well as between other faiths.

Let us recall that there are the most Christians on our planet (2.3 billion people) - this is the most widespread religion in the world. And half of them are Catholics, this is the most widespread Christian denomination. There are 10 times fewer Orthodox Christians - according to various estimates, 225-300 million.

So, about the differences in celebrating Christmas by country.

1. Date of Christmas

All Christians celebrate one event, right?

It's all about the chronology system. Catholic churches calculate dates according to the Gregorian calendar (the same one we use in everyday life), and Orthodox Christians according to the Julian calendar.

It is worth noting that most, but not all, representatives of individual movements do this. For example, Eastern Catholics (Ukrainian Church) celebrate the holiday from January 6 to 7, and churches using the New Julian calendar (local) - on the night of December 25.

Dates December 25 And Jan. 7 have 13 days between them. This is exactly how much the Julian calendar has advanced compared to the exact astronomical calendar (to which the one we use every day is as close as possible). Every 400 years, the Orthodox Church moves ahead by 3 days from the correct astronomical time. From March 1, 2100, there will be a 14-day difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

2. The significance of the holiday

For Western countries and America, where Catholic and Protestant religions predominate, Christmas is the most important event of the year. This is a family holiday that is celebrated on a fairly large scale. Believers observe fasting a month before the event; this anticipation of the holiday is called Advent.

Orthodox Christians, most of whom live in eastern countries and Russia, celebrate the New Year on a much larger scale, and in first place in importance is the religious holiday of Easter - the Resurrection of the Lord.

Westerners decorate a Christmas tree, and residents of the former USSR decorate a New Year's tree. After religion was banned in Bolshevik Russia 100 years ago, Russians simply moved Christmas traditions to New Year's, including a Christmas tree and red-green-glitter decorations.

3. Christmas service

The Orthodox hold one service throughout the entire Christmas night, until dawn. In Russia, this service is given great importance; it is broadcast on television from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Catholics divided the service into three parts - one is held in the morning (at dawn), another in the afternoon, and the third at night. Parishioners read the Bible and remember Old Testament events. In addition, in the West it is common practice to confess on the eve of the holiday. It is believed that before Christmas it is necessary to cleanse yourself of your sins and forgive your enemies.

4. Christmas dishes

Each movement has developed its own traditions. The main dish on the Catholic table is the Christmas goose. It is stuffed, baked and served with apples and prunes. Often the goose is successfully replaced with duck or turkey. Another traditional dish is pudding sprinkled with rum.

A must-have drink on a Western holiday table is eggnog. This popular drink is made from eggs, cream and milk. An alcoholic version is also possible - with the addition of rum or cognac. You can make your own egg liqueur or buy it at the store. They are treated to all guests who stop by to see the light. These dishes are typical for Americans, French, Germans, British and representatives of other Western countries.

Representatives of Orthodoxy are trying to prepare more Lenten dishes from fruits and vegetables; the meal opens on the evening of January 6, Christmas Eve. Tasting the porridge called “kutya” is obligatory, and uzvar (brew) is considered a traditional drink. Porridge is prepared from nuts, honey, dried fruits and grains. Uzvar is a vitamin compote made from dried fruits. A holiday is not complete without pancakes and all kinds of baked goods.

The traditional Western Christmas cake contains sugared raisins and cherries, lots of rum and nuts.

5. Presentation of gifts

Orthodox Christians give gifts and congratulate each other personally on the day of celebration.

It is customary for Catholics to beautifully seal gifts in advance and place them under the holiday tree. They were the ones who introduced the tradition of putting surprises in Christmas stockings.

In addition, the amount of money that representatives of different movements spend on buying gifts differs significantly. In the West, where Catholicism predominates, it is about 50,000 Russian rubles. In some countries, the pre-Christmas period accounts for about half of the annual revenue of stores.

In Russia, where Orthodoxy is predominantly practiced, the amount is much more modest, only a few thousand rubles, and gifts are given for the New Year, not for Christmas.

Everyone loves holiday gifts. But here we give them for New Year, and in Western countries for Christmas on December 25th.

Common features of Christmas among Catholics and Orthodox Christians

Catholic and Orthodox Christmas have so many differences, is there really nothing in common? In addition to the event (the birth of Jesus) that marked the beginning of the holiday, there are still several common points:

1. Celebration with family

For all Christians, whether Catholics or Orthodox, this holiday is a family holiday. Once a year, all relatives gather to warmly congratulate each other at the Christmas table. In many countries, Christmas is a day off. Some provide 2-3 days off in honor of a holiday, or even a week or two of vacation when the company office is not open at all. This is a great occasion to visit your parents and close friends.

2. All Christians strive to decorate their home for Christmas.

The main decoration is the Christmas tree, which symbolizes abundance and fertility. There is a version that the spruce is an identification of the tree of paradise, and the various decorations on it are the fruits of abundance. Figurines and images of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary are all irreplaceable attributes of the holiday, both for Catholics and Orthodox Christians.

Western people decorate their homes on such a large scale that some enthusiasts spend all their free money and weeks of time on it. “Christmas lights” competitions are held with large prizes of several thousand dollars, where both individual houses and entire streets compete. Local town halls even organize free bus tours of the best decorations, and certain streets host pre-Christmas parties to show off their decorations and make a little money (though never get your money back).

Decorating houses for Christmas. Photo: City of Gold Coast Christmas Lights Competition.

General ritual - caroling

This cheerful tradition is widespread among Orthodox Christians. Young people dress up in fancy ways, visit their neighbors in groups, have fun on the street, laughter and loud songs are heard everywhere. This is how Orthodox Christians glorify Christ. The style of celebration is a bit like Halloween among Americans.

Catholics sing carols on a larger scale. In Western countries, organized Christmas carols () are practiced 1-2 weeks before December 25, which take place in parks, concert halls, and in large crowds of people. Here everyone can join the choir and sing at the top of their lungs, hearing or not. TV shows famous singers performing traditional Christmas songs in a concert, usually for charity. Many Western pop stars release CDs of Christmas songs. Christmas carols are heard in all shopping centers, where choirs of schoolchildren and the elderly often perform during the holidays. Catholics do not go to their neighbors, although they can wear a red hat with a white pom-pom during Christmas carols, and also bring candles, real or electric.

In Western countries, concerts of traditional Christmas songs are shown on TV and pop stars consider it prestigious to participate in them.

Despite all the differences and common features, the holiday of the Nativity of Christ occupies an important place in the life of the entire Christian world. For both Catholics and Orthodox Christians this day is sacred. Believers strive to meet and celebrate Christmas with dignity. Every year, the celebration of this event brings together millions of families, regardless of their religion, and also fills the atmosphere with warmth and light.

Merry Orthodox Christmas!

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A very important time has come for Christians of all denominations - preparation for one of the two most important holidays - Christmas. However, followers of different branches of Christianity not only celebrate this holiday at different times, but also prepare for it in different ways.

Christian churches living in Gregorian calendar(so-called new style), note Nativity at night from 24 to 25 December. Lives according to the new style Catholic Church and that's all Protestant denominations. Ten out of 15 local Orthodox Churches celebrate holidays according to the so-called New Julian calendar, which currently coincides with the Gregorian calendar. All churches living according to the new style, as well as most residents of countries whose culture is based on Western values, will celebrate the birth of the son of God on the night of December 24-25, 2017.

By Julian calendar(so-called old style) Christmas Day will come 14 days later. Believers who adhere to the old style will celebrate this amazing holiday on the night from 6 to 7 January.

The five Orthodox churches of the world live according to the Julian calendar. These are the Russian Orthodox Church, Jerusalem, Georgian, Serbian and Polish Orthodox churches, as well as Athos monasteries. Together with them, some Catholics of the so-called Eastern Rite and a small number of Protestants will celebrate Christmas on the night of January 6-7.

This question is quite complicated, especially considering that the celebration Easter Orthodox and Catholics sometimes have the same thing.

The Gregorian calendar was first introduced by the Pope Gregory XIII in Catholic countries in 1582 instead of the previous Julian. This was done due to the backlog that arose due to the fact that the Julian calendar did not take leap years into account.

In Soviet Russia, the Gregorian calendar was introduced by decree of January 26, 1918, but the Russian Orthodox Church never recognized this, although such attempts were made.

In 1923, most local Orthodox churches adopted the New Julian calendar, similar to the Gregorian, and began to celebrate holidays at the same time as Catholics and Protestants. However, the Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian and Serbian Orthodox churches, as well as the monasteries of Athos, refused to comply with this decision. Thus, the Russian Orthodox Church still adheres to the old style, and the majority of Russians, even those far from religion, celebrate Christian holidays according to the Julian calendar.

That's why Catholic Christmas will come December 25, A Orthodox - Jan. 7.

Why Christmas doesn’t coincide for Catholics and Orthodox Christians, but with Easter everything is more complicated

As you know, in Christianity there are holidays intransient, that is, fixed in the calendar and always celebrated on the same day, and moving (that is, having a floating date).

So, in 1948, at the Moscow meeting of Orthodox churches, a resolution was adopted that Easter and all moving holidays should be calculated according to the Julian calendar, and non-moving ones - according to the calendar according to which the local church lives.

But in fact, all this just needs to be accepted and remembered, and as for moving holidays, for example, Easter, you just need to check their date annually according to the church calendar.

How Orthodox and Catholics prepare for Christmas

Orthodox Christians begin preparing for Christmas more than a month in advance - for this there is Christmas post which begins November 28 and lasts 40 days - until the evening of January 6. Read more about how it is customary to observe the Nativity Fast in Orthodoxy.

Catholics and Lutherans call preparations for Christmas Advent, this time is also accompanied by fasting and traditional rituals, which have not only a religious, but also a cultural meaning.

What is Advent

Advent(from the Latin word adventus - arrival) is the name of the pre-Christmas period, in its spiritual meaning similar to the Nativity Fast among the Orthodox.

Advent is especially important for Catholics - after all, it is a time of spiritual and physical preparation for the holiday of the Nativity of Christ. It should be noted here that if the Orthodox consider the main Christian holiday Easter, then in the Western tradition the first place is precisely Christmas, therefore, everything connected with it is extremely important for Catholics and Protestants.

Advent lasts four weeks - until Catholic Christmas, that is, it is about a third shorter than the 40-day Orthodox Nativity Fast. During Advent, it is also customary for Western Christians to fast, although not as strict as in Orthodoxy, and to perform various good deeds.

First Sunday of Advent

One of the most important days before Catholic Christmas is first Sunday of Advent, which in 2017 falls on December 3.

On this day the first candle in the traditional Advent wreath is lit - Candle of prophecy, which symbolizes the connection between the Old and New Testaments.

Second Sunday of Advent

In second Sunday of Advent, which falls on December 10, the second candle is lit along with the first. The second candle is called Bethlehem- it is lit in memory of the maiden’s journey Maria and saint Joseph to Bethlehem and the birth there Jesus.

Third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent will come December 17. This day is symbolized by the third candle, which is called Shepherds Candle. It is lit along with the first two. The third candle is dedicated to the shepherds who were the first to come to worship the baby Jesus.

Christmas Eve for Catholics

IN Christmas Eve- Christmas Eve (December 24) - light up fourth Advent candle, which is called Angels Candle. This candle symbolizes the divine essence of Christ.

On Christmas night, all four candles in the Advent wreath are lit.

Read about how Western Christians celebrate Christmas in the materials Federal News Agency.

Although Advent is considered a period of prayer and fasting, in Western countries it is also a very fun time dedicated to waiting for a miracle, with which Christmas is invariably associated. In all settlements - from lush European capitals to small mountain villages - fairs and sales are held, and Christmas markets are opened, which tourists love to visit. Everyone is trying to stock up on gifts, which are usually given to both children and adults at Christmas.