Orthodox Christmas Day

Orthodox Christmas Quick Facts - US

AKA Name	Nativity of Our Lord, The Incarnation of Christ
Hashtags	#OrthodoxChristmas
Related Hashtags	#Christmas, #Orthodox, #Orthodoxchristmas, #Рождество, #MerryChristmas, #Epiphany
2020 Date	January 7, 2020
2021 Date	January 7, 2021

2020 Holidays & Dates

Orthodox Christmas in 2020

Tuesday, Jan 7

Days to go:

Orthodox Christmas History

Orthodox Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. For Christians, it is a is a 12-day season that begins on December 25th and ends on January 5th. The Nativity of Our Lord is one of the 12 Great Feasts in the Orthodox Church. It is sometimes also called The Incarnation of Christ to indicate that God became man in Christ to live in the world.

Orthodox Christians follow the Julian calendar which places the day on January 7. The majority of Christians follow the modern day Gregorian Calendar which places Christmas on December 25.

Top Tweets for Orthodox Christmas -

I address a special thought to the brothers of the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, who today celebrate the Lord's Christmas. To all I wish the light and peace of Christ the Saviour.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) January 7, 2020

Glad to see that Christians in #Sudan are able to freely celebrate Orthodox Christmas today. This progress is possible because of steps the civilian-led transitional government has taken to advance #religiousfreedom. I've upgraded Sudan to our Special Watch List as a result.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 7, 2020

Mikhail updated IG Stories For my followers who wants to know Mikhail's humor. Today it's Christmas in Russia (orthodox). And one of old slavic traditions is "going caroling" ("kolyadovat" in russian). You can read about it on Wiki: https://t.co/vyPbpLssU9 https://t.co/kxGxSbSMxH https://t.co/4jGIKhfQ9u
— sunlight_girl (@sunlight_girl) January 7, 2020

In the News and Trending for Orthodox Christmas

Updated 21:06Trained American Santas hit Jerusalem for Orthodox Christmas

reuters.com

Khristos razhdeyetsya! Today we celebrate Ukrainian Orthodox Christmas. 

youtube.com

6 сильных молитв на Рождество Христово о здоровье, благополучии детей, богатстве, замужестве

zhurnal-lady.com

Orthodox Christmas warms January with fasting, food, family rituals

edmontonjournal.com

Parishioners gather at SS Peter and Paul to celebrate Orthodox Christmas

nwitimes.com

Orthodox Christmas Facts

In the Orthodox tradition, a 40-day period called the Nativity Fast occurs before Christmas. Fasting is a faithful abstain from foods, especially those derived from animals, and wine.
In the old days, Sundays honored the old covenant between God and Abraham and now - the new covenant between God and those who believe in Christ.
The Orthodox tradition uses icons - paintings of saints, to help people to pray. The main icon for Christmas features scenes from the birth of Christ.
The giving of gifts started as a Roman tradition. Although the early church fathers condemned the practice, it continues to this day.
Several feasts are held during the Orthodox Christmas season, including feasts for Mary, Joseph, the first-born children slain by Caesar, and Jesus' circumcision.

Orthodox Christmas Top Events and Things to Do

Attend an Orthodox Christmas service. Orthodox Christianity is popular in Greek and Slavic-language communities, including Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian, Macedonian communities.
Go on a fast or diet leading up to Orthodox Christmas. Try eliminating meat and animal foods from your diet.
Go for dinner at the Russian or Greek Restaurant. Many will serve specials to commemorate this holiday.