Orthodox Christmas

Orthodox Christmas Quick Facts - US

AKA Name	Nativity of Our Lord, The Incarnation of Christ
ℹ HashtagsCompiled on05:10	#Christmas
Related Hashtags	#Orthodox
2023 Date	January 7, 2023
2024 Date	January 7, 2024

2023 Holidays & Dates

		US & Common Holidays
		Misc. & Int'l. Observancesℹ
		Christian Holidays
		Jewish Holidays
		Muslim Holidays

Get Holiday reminders on Twitter:

Orthodox Christmas in 2023

Saturday, 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 -

Updated 05:07

Putin had no qualms about sending bombs and missiles to kill Ukrainians during their Christmas and New Year's celebrations, but now he wants to unilaterally declare some kind of a pretend ceasefire to honor the Orthodox holidays. Cynical, revolting, theatrical hypocrisy. https://t.co/TwsHW4IvQn
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) January 5, 2023

Joe Biden about the ceasefire proposed by Russia over Orthodox Christmas: "I'm reluctant to respond to anything Putin says. I found it interesting that he was ready to bomb hospitals, nurseries, and churches on the 25th and New Year's Eve".
— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) January 5, 2023

For Orthodox Christian communities celebrating Christmas around the world today, I wish you a holiday filled with peace and prosperity as you gather with those you love. https://t.co/90LUHbKcRv
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 7, 2023

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.

In the News and Trending for Orthodox Christmas

Updated 05:07 Ukraine dismisses Putin's call for weekend cease-fire during Russian Orthodox Christmas as "hypocrisy"

cbsnews.com

Day 25: That Time an Orthodox Jew Celebrated Christmas

nytimes.com

Putin declares unilateral 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas

washingtonpost.com

Putin calls for Ukraine cease-fire to mark Russian Orthodox Christmas

nbcnews.com

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.