Christmas is one of the most important Christian holidays. On this day, the son of God Jesus Christ was born in the city of Bethlehem.
The Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of Christ on January 7, and Western Christians who live according to the Gregorian calendar celebrate December 25.
Sputnik Georgia asked what is the reason for this temporary discrepancy between the celebration of Christmas in the past and now.
Nativity
They began to celebrate the Nativity of Christ in the first centuries of Christianity - a holiday was established in honor of the Birth of the Son of God in the flesh by the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel, was born in the Jewish city of Bethlehem during the reign of Emperor Augustus.
Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, and her husband Joseph came to Bethlehem from the city of Nazareth, where they lived, fulfilling the order of the ruler Augustus to appear to the entire population for the census.
Mary and Joseph were able to find accommodation for the night only in a cave intended for cattle stalls, since all the places in the hotels of Bethlehem were occupied due to the census. The Blessed Virgin gave birth to the Son of God in a cave, swaddled the Infant of God and placed him in a manger - a feeding trough for livestock.
The news of the birth of the Savior of the world, in the midst of midnight silence, when all humanity was engulfed in sleep, was heard by the shepherds guarding the flock. With the news that the Savior had come to the world, angels appeared to the shepherds, who were the first to come to the cave to worship the Infant God.
In the sky at the moment of the Savior’s birth, the Star of Bethlehem shone, which, according to Eastern prophecies, signified the time of the coming into the world of God’s Son, the Messiah, for whom the Jewish people were waiting.
The ancient sages who reached Bethlehem, following the guiding star, also bowed to the Newborn Savior. The Magi brought the Son of God gifts from the East - gold, incense and myrrh, which had a deep meaning.
In particular, they brought gold as a tribute to the king, incense as a tribute to God, and myrrh as a person who was about to die, since myrrh was anointed with the dead in those distant times.
The tradition of making the Star of Bethlehem and decorating the New Year tree with it came from those ancient times. They began to celebrate this event as a holiday much later - one of the first mentions of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ dates back to the 4th century.
history of the holiday
In the Eastern and Western Churches until the 4th century, the Nativity of Christ, which was combined with the feast of Epiphany, was celebrated on January 6 - this holiday was known as Epiphany.
The remembrance and glorification of the event of the appearance of the Son of God in the flesh was the main purpose of establishing the holiday.
For the first time, the Nativity of Christ was separated from Baptism in the Roman Church in the first half of the 4th century. Pope Julius I approved the date December 25 as the date of the Nativity of Christ in 337.
Since then, the entire Christian world has celebrated Christmas on December 25th. The Armenian Church is an exception, which to this day celebrates Christmas and Epiphany on January 6 as a single holiday of Epiphany.
The Church, moving the holiday to December 25, wanted to create a counterbalance to the pagan cult of the sun and protect believers from participating in it.
In addition, the church fathers believed that December 25 most historically corresponds to the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The celebration of the Nativity of Christ in the Eastern Church on December 25 was introduced later than in the Western Church - in the second half of the 4th century. The separate celebration of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord was first introduced in the Church of Constantinople around 377. From Constantinople, the custom of celebrating the Nativity of Christ on December 25 spread throughout the Orthodox East.
The Nativity of Christ is celebrated on December 25, but according to the old style, that is, on January 7, by the Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian and Polish Orthodox churches, Mount Athos monasteries (in Greece), as well as Eastern Rite Catholics and some Protestants who adhere to the Julian calendar.
The Nativity of Christ on January 7 is also celebrated by the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, Orthodox and Greek Catholics in Ukraine, and Orthodox in Macedonia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Date difference
The difference in the dates of celebration between Catholics and Orthodox Christians arose after the Roman Catholic Church carried out calendar reforms in 1582, which were not recognized by the Orthodox Church.
The Julian calendar, introduced by Emperor Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was much more convenient than the old Roman one, but still turned out to be not clear enough. Therefore, Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th century carried out a reform, the purpose of which was to correct the growing difference between the astronomical year and the calendar year.
Pope Gregory introduced a new, Gregorian calendar (new style), and the Orthodox Church continued to celebrate church holidays in the old way - the Julian calendar.
In the year when the Gregorian calendar, according to which most countries of the world, including Georgia, now live, was introduced, the difference between the old and new styles was 10 days, and in our century - 13 days.
P.S. Considering that there are a lot of disputes in Georgia related to the date of Christmas celebration, I decided to publish a text written in fairly simple language on the website “Sputnik Georgia” - when, what and why, regarding the Nativity of Christ.
I am sincerely surprised how a considerable part of the Mishists and liberals foam at the mouth, hate almost everything connected with Orthodoxy and explain their hatred by the fight against the evil empire. And so, weakly, just lay bare and say that it’s not about the evil empire, but that I simply don’t believe and despise Orthodoxy? So, apparently, it’s weak.... And then how can you gain percentages in elections?
Some Mishists directly shout out before every Christmas that if we celebrate on the 25th, then we’ll cut the umbilical cord with Russia and become members of the European family... And you know, it seems that they are so accustomed to this chatter that the Georgian majority, in for the most part, they no longer consider it necessary to take such verbiage seriously. Well, they talk and talk, but when were they silent?
What can I say? In my opinion, your orientation cannot absolutely change depending on when you celebrate Christmas. That is, changing the places of the syllables does not change the sum at all...
These are just polls of chatterboxes, absolutely far from the faith and constantly eager to shout something against...
Lord, we seem to have democracy... you can celebrate the 25th and 7th and not celebrate and ignore them at all... Or maybe Misha should be appointed Patriarch so that he can fix everything over the past... centuries, in a couple of days, I’m sure will cope, and... we will become like the elves and giggle at the fact that we have been marking time for so many centuries?
The first 330 years in the history of the Christian faith due to its persecution Nativity didn't celebrate. And only in the 4th century, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great allowed Christians to openly profess their faith and build the Church of the Nativity. Since then, this day began to be revered as a great event. However, since the 16th century, the entire Christian world has divided and celebrates this holiday at different times. Catholics - December 25, and Orthodox - January 7.
In Rus', Christmas began to be celebrated after the introduction of Christianity - in the 10th century, and since then this holiday began on the night of December 25th. But with the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, the date of the celebration also changed. It is known that the modern calendar, called the Gregorian (new style), was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, replacing the Julian calendar (old style), used since the 45th century BC.
In this regard, it turned out that part of the Christian world, which included not only the Russian, but also the Georgian, Jerusalem and Serbian Orthodox Churches, as well as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, also celebrates this day on December 25, but still according to the old style - according to Juliansky.
The change of the Julian calendar in the 16th century first affected Catholic countries, and later Protestant ones. In Russia, the Gregorian calendar was introduced after the 1917 revolution, namely on February 14, 1918. However, the Russian Orthodox Church, having preserved traditions, continues to live and celebrate Christian holidays according to the Julian calendar.
Development of the iconography of the Nativity of Christ
Man's desire to depict the main events of his life takes its origins from primitive tribes. Therefore, such an event as the birth of the Savior was an important milestone in people’s lives. In the first Christian images, the Nativity of Christ looked like an ordinary drawing, which depicted a manger with the Baby and the Virgin Mary bending over him, as well as righteous Joseph and angels, shepherds and wise men, a donkey and an ox or a cow.
The most ancient archaeological artifacts found in Christian sarcophagi, in the form of the first iconographies on silver ampoules into which oil consecrated in Palestine was poured, are proof of this. And starting from the 6th century, the iconography of the Nativity of Christ was already formed, which will remain until the 21st century.
The Byzantine iconography of the Nativity of Christ included three plans: the top - “heaven”, the center - “the connection of heaven and earth”, and the bottom - “earth”. Old Russian iconography, which for many centuries followed the Byzantine tradition, and in the 17th century borrowed the style of Western European painting.
The meaning of some symbols in the iconography of the Nativity of Christ
Against the background of the sky, the bright star of Bethlehem in the form of a spherical flash, touching the top of the mountain with the cave symbolizes the expression: “Christmas is heaven on earth.” Since the birth of Christ, heaven has become open to man, meaning that the path to heaven is open and thus one can approach God, thanks to the striving of the human soul upward to the top.
Often in iconography, images of an ox and a donkey are used; these are images of two worlds - Israeli and pagan, for the salvation of which the Lord came into the world.
The shape of the manger, reminiscent of the shape of a coffin, is also symbolic: “Christ was born into the world to die for it and to rise for it.” Shepherds and pagan Magi also have their role in the iconography, through which the Almighty appeared to this world: “From now on, every person can find his own way to God.”
Nativity of Christ on canvases of old masters
The theme of the Nativity of Christ, despite its relevance, could not help but be reflected in the works of artists from different Christian countries. Western European painting is especially rich in religious subjects about the birth of the Savior.
Filippino Lippi was one of the first Italian artists to use landscape in Nativity iconography. The Madonna with angels flying down from heaven worship the newborn Savior in a meadow strewn with flowers, which is fenced off and symbolizes paradise.
The Italian Paolo Veronese, using a biblical story, depicted a lush and luxurious setting, where we see expensive fabrics, feathers, drapery, and elements of ancient architecture. The entire canvas is imbued with the solemnity of a significant event.
Bartolome Murillo depicted the mystery of the birth of little Jesus in the form of a genre scene, where
The shepherds worship in contrasts of light and shadow. According to the interpretations of theologians, it is these simple people who will become spiritual shepherds and the first evangelists.
The bright light coming from the Child, which illuminates the Madonna and the angels, enhances the feeling of His divinity. And the singing angels holding a sheet of music add solemnity to Jan Kalkar’s canvas.
Christmas is a great religious holiday that marks the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God in Christianity.
The birth of Jesus Christ is described in the New Testament. The biblical Gospels of Luke and Matthew say that Jesus was born in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. The exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ is unknown. The choice of the date December 25 for celebrating Christmas was accompanied by various factors: on this day the winter solstice occurs in the Roman calendar; this is the date that occurs 9 months after March 25 - the feast of the Annunciation and the vernal equinox.
In the middle of the 4th century, the Western Christian Church established the date of Christmas as December 25, which was later adopted in the East. Today, most Christians celebrate Christmas on the same day according to the Gregorian calendar. However, Orthodox Christians in Eastern, Central Europe and other places in the world celebrate Christmas on January 7, 13 days after many countries around the world (USA, Canada, Australia, UK, etc.) celebrate this holiday on December 25.
Interesting fact: Orthodoxy is one of the 3 largest Christian denominations along with Catholicism and Protestantism. In the modern Christian world, the Orthodox Church, as a rule, lives according to the Julian calendar (“old style”), the Catholic Church follows the Gregorian calendar (“new style”).
Why Orthodox and Catholic Christmases are not the same
Julian and Gregorian calendars
Countries celebrate Christmas at different times because they use different calendars:
- Julian calendar, who in 46 BC. e. introduced by the ancient Roman dictator, the great pontiff Julius Caesar. Christian countries have used the Julian calendar since the 6th century. But over time, it turned out that this calendar had inaccuracies: the Julian year was 11 minutes longer than the duration of the solar year. The extra minutes accumulated and eventually 1 day was added every 128 years. After 1.5 thousand years, the calendar lagged behind the tropical year by 10 days, as a result of which at the end of the 16th century. a new calendar has appeared;
- Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. This calendar became the international civil calendar, according to which Catholic Christians still celebrate Christmas Day on December 25th. The Gregorian calendar eliminated the inaccuracy of the Julian calendar and brought the length of the civil year into line with the solar year. To correct the deviation of the Julian calendar from solar time, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Gregory XIII, omitted 10 days in 1582: October 4th was followed by October 15th.
Depiction of the official change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1582 Catholic countries (France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Poland) were the first to adopt the innovation; over time, Orthodox countries also switched to the new time calculation, but the Orthodox churches continued to use the old Julian calendar to preserve traditions.
Today, the time difference between the old and new calendars is 13 days: December 25 (Julian calendar) falls on January 7 (Gregorian calendar). This has led to discrepancies in the numbers of Christmas celebrations in different countries of the world. Essentially, Orthodox Christians keep Christmas Day on December 25th, which falls 13 days later than that date in the modern Gregorian calendar.
Christmas in Orthodox countries
Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem Many Orthodox countries still adhere to the traditional Julian calendar of religious holidays. Russia, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Georgia, Macedonia, Ethiopia use the old Julian calendar and celebrate Christmas in early January. The Jerusalem Orthodox Church celebrates the Christmas liturgy at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on January 7.
Most Orthodox countries use the Gregorian calendar, but observe secular or religious holidays according to the old style. For example, according to the old style, the Old New Year is celebrated (January 14); Orthodox Epiphany (January 19), as opposed to Catholic (January 6).
Some Orthodox countries (Albania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine) have two public holidays for Christmas - December 25 and January 7. This allows citizens to independently choose the date of the Christmas holiday.
Interesting fact: Christmas on January 7th is also called “Orthodox Christmas”. However, only 56% of the world's Orthodox Christians (and 7% of the 12% of all Orthodox Christians in the world) celebrate Christmas in early January, the rest at the end of December.
Thus, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Nativity of Christ on January 7, while most countries in the world celebrate this great holiday on December 25. The liturgical calendar of the Orthodox Church is based on the old Julian calendar, which set the date of the Birth of the Son of God Jesus Christ as December 25th. However, in the Gregorian calendar, adopted by most countries in the world, this day falls 13 days later due to a 13-day discrepancy between calendars. Therefore, according to the Julian calendar, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th.
Christmas, regardless of the calendar by which the date of the holiday is determined, for every Christian believer is a bright holiday, which is the best time for spiritual unity, honoring family, religion and goodness. People usually celebrate Christmas at home and also attend Christmas church services.
During the New Year holidays, many people wonder why in Europe and the USA the most important Christian holiday is celebrated on December 25, while in Russia and the CIS countries it falls on January 7. To answer this question, it is necessary to take a short excursion into history and clarify why such a division occurred. Let's try to understand in more detail why Christmas is on January 7 and December 25.
A little history
It should be clarified that on December 25, Christmas is celebrated by people who profess Catholicism. For representatives of the Orthodox faith, the Savior was born on 01/07. What is the difference and why did the two branches of one religion become so divided? The confusion occurred due to the change of calendars.
In the 16th century, people used the Julian calendar, and after Pope Gregory 13 proposed a more accurate way of counting passing days, the era of the “Gregorian” calendar began.
The key differences between them were:
- Different periods of time when a leap year occurs. In Gregorian it is every 4 years, in Julian it is 3.
- In Julian, an extra day occurs every 128 years, while in its successor only after 3200 years. Therefore, the Gregorian calendar is considered the most accurate.
- Every 4th year according to the new style is not considered a leap year if it is divisible by 400 or a multiple of 100.
- The Julian calendar today is practically not used anywhere except in the Christian church, but at one time it existed for more than a thousand years.
- Every 400 years, the difference between calendars increases by 3 days.
The difference between the calendars has led to the fact that the Catholic Church still celebrates key Christian holidays according to the Julian calendar, that is, according to the old style, while the whole world has switched to the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, throughout Europe and America, Christmas falls on December 25, an old style date, as if the Julian calendar was used in everyday life.
Why did you choose December 25th for the celebration?
An interesting question remains why this particular date was chosen - December 25, regardless of whether it is designated according to the old style or in a new way. After all, the Bible does not indicate for certain when exactly the Savior was born, only approximately the time of year. There are two theories about this:
- 12 fell on the day of the winter solstice and even with the emergence of Christianity, people were tied to this day. Therefore, they decided to replace the pagan habit with the celebration of the main event among Christians.
- According to the Roman Chronograph of 354, the Savior could have been born on December 25, but this fact was not reliably confirmed.
In fact, the holiday, scheduled for the day of the pagan event, also absorbed some non-Christian traditions. But today everything is so tightly intertwined that finding the root of the custom is not so easy.
How do Catholics celebrate Christmas?
How Catholics celebrate the birth of the Savior can often be seen in Western films. Usually it is shown as a bright, very solemn holiday that gathers the whole family at one table.
Traditions inherent in Catholic Christmas include:
- A month before the red date in the calendar, the period of spiritual cleansing and preparation for the holiday begins.
- On the entrance doors you can always see elegant spruce wreaths or Christmas garlands and bright decorations.
- Every home is decorated with a live spruce, which symbolizes prosperity and fertility. It’s called the Christmas tree, and the whole family gathers to decorate it.
- On Christmas Eve they dine with traditional dishes, for example, in the USA it is turkey, and in China it is duck. After which everyone goes to the festive mass in the temple.
- The younger generation wears masks and goes from house to house, singing carols and collecting delicious gifts.
- At the temples there is always a nativity scene with figures of the main characters of the events that unfolded more than 2000 years ago in Bethlehem.
- The celebration lasts exactly 8 days.
Here are several traditions for celebrating the birth of the Savior among people who profess Catholicism. In some ways they are similar to Orthodox customs, but in others they are radically different.
It should be noted that the traditions and customs of celebrating Christmas in the CIS countries were left imprinted by the atheism of the Soviet Union. Even the Christmas tree, once called Christmas, became simply New Year's. And the star on it from Bethlehem turned into a red five-pointed one, symbolizing the power of the Soviet Union.
But today the characteristic customs of celebrating Christmas should be highlighted:
- All believers gather in the Temple from the very evening and stand throughout the festive service.
- An obligatory element on the table is kutia, which is prepared with the addition of poppy seeds and honey. This traditional dish symbolizes eternal life and faith.
- Young people go from house to house and sing carols, wishing the owners health and long life, and in return they receive sweets and treats.
- Children go to the house of their godmother or father to congratulate them on the holiday.
- You are allowed to sit at the table with the first star.
- It is advisable to spend dinner on Christmas Eve in silence or speak better quietly, and on the table there should be mainly traditional dishes and fish.
- On Christmas itself, January 7, the table should be rich and be sure to include pancakes, homemade pickles, fried poultry, gingerbread, sweets and jellied meat.
At Christmas, young girls like to tell fortunes about grooms by throwing a shoe or calling on their betrothed to show up. The Church does not approve of such behavior on holiday, but it has long become a good custom.
Are there so many different things that have accumulated between Catholics and Orthodox? Let's try to figure out what our fundamental differences are.
- The main difference, of course, is the date.
- Catholics are allowed not to fast before the holiday itself. But it is not allowed to ignore the period of spiritual cleansing. Restrictions on food are replaced by prayers and good deeds.
- Catholics give gifts not for the New Year, but for Christmas. Whereas in the Orthodox tradition, there is no need to give gifts on this day.
- On the Catholic holiday table you can see blessed bread, which is eaten along with the rest of the food. In the Orthodox tradition, mallow is eaten in the morning on an empty stomach to break the fast after fasting.
- The main character at Christmas for Catholics is Santa Claus, who brings gifts by entering the house through the chimney. The clergy does not approve of such a substitution, but the custom has already taken root over many centuries. On this day, Orthodox Christians ask Jesus Christ for spiritual benefits, so the exchange of gifts is not encouraged.
But, despite all the differences, the holiday carries a single message: to gather all relatives at one table, to thank the Almighty for all the benefits that he bestows. It is important to remember that it is not the day chosen in the calendar that determines the celebration, but the people, so it does not matter whether it is 25 or 7, the main thing is to spend it with family and with prayer.
It is known that Christmas in Russia and Europe is celebrated on different dates, despite the common calendar and chronology. In Russia the holiday is celebrated on January 7, in Europe – on December 25. What causes this discrepancy?
Origins
In ancient Rome, March 1 marked the beginning of the year, however, when Gaius Julius Caesar modified the calendar, the shortest day of the year, December 22, became the starting point for new years.
It is well known that the Romans revered a pantheon of gods, where the winter solstice was a symbol of the victory of Saturn (approx. God of the earth and crops) over winter.
At the beginning of the 4th century. The Christian Church gained the upper hand in the territory of Rome and it was decided to abolish the objectionable holiday with pagan roots. Thus, the festival of Saturn was replaced in the 10th century. date of birth of Christ.
Difference in church chronology
Today, the difference in the dates of Christmas can be explained by the fact that the Orthodox Church is guided by the calendar introduced by Julius Caesar, and the Catholic Church is guided by the Gregorian calendar.
Russia at the beginning of the 20th century introduced the calendar adopted by the Western world, but the church tradition remained unchanged.
Key Facts
- Both calendars have the same number of days;
- The leap year occurs at different intervals in both calendars;
- According to the Julian calendar, a leap year occurs every three years, while according to the Gregorian calendar it occurs every four years.
So, the difference in the celebration of Christmas dates can be explained by purely historical reasons. In the course of the development of civilizations, their decline and the formation of new customs, a new faith, and with it the change of chronology, the dates of the Nativity of Christ also shifted.
For the above reasons, the Western Catholic world celebrates it on December 24, and the Orthodox Church on January 7.