Photos

Tonight many people in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other Eastern Orthodox countries celebrate Christmas. The reason why we do it in January, rather than in December, is that our church did not switch from Georgian to Julian calendar in 4th century.

Pope Julius 1st set the December 25 date on or about 336 ad in an effort to provide continuity from year to year and to counterbalance the various pre-Christian festivals in competition with the spread of Catholicism. Although many of the Orthodox or Eastern Rite Christian churches have celebrated Christmas on December 25 since the middle of the fifth century, some chose to keep their festivities on the traditional date of January 6 or 7, known also as the Epiphany.

The 39-day Christmas fast finishes tonight. When the first star appears, people lay the table with dishes - Saint Christmas Supper. Girls fortune-tell this night: they pour melt wax into the water and guess their future by thicken outlines. The mummers go from house to house during Christmas, they sing Christmas carols and are treated.

Some BBC pictures of Orthodox Christmas are here.