This past Sunday, January 7th, many people in Russia celebrated Christmas.
You may find yourself surprised by this fact: why were they almost two weeks late?? By then most of the Christian world had already celebrated Christmas in the end of December. Well, the reason is that the Russian Orthodox Church, the largest Christian denomination in the country, refuses to adopt the modern Gregorian calendar that was proposed 450 years ago b Pope Gregory to correct for accumulated error in the length of the astronomical year. Instead, the Russian Orthodoc Church continues to observe all religious holidays according to the old Julian Calendar, which is currently 13 days behind the modern one.
Is it still a big deal?
Is Christmas in Russia as big of a deal as it is in many other Christian countries in other parts of the world? Well, not really. The New Year’s celebration took over many Christmas traditions after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, and Christmas itself was banned under the Communist Regime until the Soviet Union dissolved in the end of 1991. Even though celebrating Chrismas is not forbidden in Russia any longer, most people see the New Year’s Eve as a bigger and more important holiday. People spend December 31st with families, around a dinner table laden with traditional seasonal foods, decorate the tree, and exchange the presents. When Christmas Day arrives a week later, only very religious people observe it properly, by visiting the church on that day, but not doing much more in the way of celebration. Most people simply don’t care about Christmas.
Some people argue that if the Church switched to the Gregorian Calendar and re-synched its timeline with the rest of the world, then Russian people would be more incentivise to observe and celebrate Christmas. However, the Church hasn’t made any statements regarding a possibility of such reform.
What does Christmas mean for you?
How is it in your country and in your community? Do people celebrate Christmas there? Do you? (of course, I am aware that not every person reading this happen to be a Christian). Is it a big deal in your country or your part of the world? What do people give and get for presents? Please share in the comments below and I’ll be delighted to learn more about your country’s traditions!
