Christmas 2024: Here is why some countries celebrate the birth of Jesus on January 7 and not December 25
In around 15 countries in Central and Eastern Europe that follow Eastern Orthodox Christianity, including Belarus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after December 25.
It is Christmas, and Christians across the entire world are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ! Well, not exactly, as for some Christians, Christmas is still two weeks away.
When is Christmas?
While most Christian communities around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25 or on the eve of December 24, those following the Eastern Orthodox traditions mark the day on January 6 or January 7, depending on the year.
CREDIT: REUTERS
Countries that celebrate Christmas on January 7
In around 15 countries in Central and Eastern Europe that follow Eastern Orthodox Christianity, including Belarus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after December 25.
Julian calendar vs Gregorian calendar
That is because they follow the Julian calendar and not the widely used Gregorian calendar.
The Julian calendar, as the name suggests, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC to reform the Roman calendar. The calendar was based on the Egyptian solar calendar and was designed to align with the seasons.
The Gregorian calendar, on the other hand, was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII to reform the Julian calendar.
CREDIT: REUTERS
However, due to differences in how the length of the year and leap years are calculated, the days do not align. Before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, January 7 was celebrated as Christmas. But after the new calendar was introduced, ten days were dropped to make up for the discrepancies with the Julian calendar, and thus Christmas fell on December 25.
The ten days that were dropped, and the way leap years are calculated, resulted in Orthodox Christmas moving forward by another three days since 1582.
CREDIT: REUTERS
In many communities, January 7 is still known as Old Christmas Day, while others who follow Eastern Orthodox traditions and the Julian calendar continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus on that day.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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