Christmas is a great holiday established in remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Christmas is one of the most important Christian holidays and a public holiday in more than 100 countries around the world.

The first information about Christians celebrating Christmas dates back to the 4th century. The question of the real date of birth of Jesus Christ is controversial and ambiguously resolved among church authors.

According to one of the modern hypotheses, the choice of the date of Christmas occurred due to the simultaneous celebration by early Christians of the Incarnation (the conception of Christ) and Easter. Accordingly, as a result of adding nine months to this date (March 25), Christmas fell on the winter solstice.

Orthodox Christians in Russia celebrate Christmas on January 7, and the date of Catholic Christmas is December 25. Why do holiday dates differ by 13 days? This happened due to the adoption of different calendars: in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new, “Gregorian” calendar, which was called the “new style”. The old Julian calendar began to be called the old style. The difference between the new and old style increases by 1 day every hundred years and in the 20th century. is 13 days.

While the new Gregorian calendar appeared in Europe, the Julian calendar continued to be used in Russia. When in 1918 the authorities introduced the Gregorian calendar in the Soviet Union, the church did not approve of such a decision.

In 1923, on the initiative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, a meeting of the Orthodox Churches was held, at which a decision was made to correct the Julian calendar - thus, the “New Julian” calendar appeared.

Due to historical circumstances, the Russian Orthodox Church was unable to take part in it. Having learned about the meeting in Constantinople, Patriarch Tikhon nevertheless issued a decree on the transition to the “New Julian” calendar. But this caused protests among the church people, and the decree was canceled less than a month later. Thus, Catholics and Protestants living according to the Gregorian calendar celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of Christ on the night of December 24-25.

On the night of January 6-7, the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated by the Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian, Ukrainian and Serbian Orthodox Churches, Athos monasteries living according to the old Julian calendar, as well as many Catholics of the Eastern rite (in particular, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) and part of Russian Protestants.

All the other 11 Local Orthodox Churches of the world celebrate the Nativity of Christ, like Catholics, on the night of December 24-25, since they use the so-called “New Julian”, which so far coincides with the Gregorian.

The Feast of the Nativity of Christ has five days of pre-celebration (from December 20 to 24) and six days of post-celebration. On the eve or on the day of the eve of the holiday (December 24), a particularly strict fast is observed, called Christmas Eve, since on this day they eat wheat or barley grains boiled with honey. According to tradition, the Christmas Eve fast ends with the appearance of the first evening star in the sky. On the eve of the holiday, Old Testament prophecies and events related to the Nativity of the Savior are remembered. Christmas services are performed three times: at midnight, at dawn and during the day, which symbolizes the Nativity of Christ in the bosom of God the Father, in the womb of the Mother of God and in the soul of every Christian.

In the 13th century, during the time of St. Francis of Assisi, the custom arose of displaying in churches for worship a manger in which a figurine of the Infant Jesus was placed. Over time, mangers began to be placed before Christmas not only in churches, but also in homes. Homemade santons - models in glass boxes depict a grotto, and the baby Jesus lies in a manger. Next to him are the Mother of God, Joseph, an angel, shepherds who came to worship, as well as animals - a bull and a donkey. Entire scenes from folk life are also depicted: for example, peasants in folk costumes are placed next to the holy family.

During the celebration of Christmas, a custom has been established to break “Christmas bread” - special unleavened wafers consecrated in churches during Advent - and eat it both before the festive meal and during greetings and congratulations to each other on the holiday.

A characteristic element of the Christmas holiday is the custom of installing decorated spruce trees in homes. This pagan tradition originated among the Germanic peoples, in whose rituals the spruce was a symbol of life and fertility. With the spread of Christianity among the peoples of Central and Northern Europe, the spruce tree decorated with multi-colored balls acquired new symbolism: it began to be installed in homes on December 24, as a symbol of the tree of paradise with abundant fruits.

Christmas is, without a doubt, one of the main spiritual holidays, regardless of religion. But still there is Catholic and Orthodox Christmas. If we know for sure that the dates of these holidays are different, then everything else is a little more complicated. Therefore, we decided to tell you how Catholic and Orthodox Christmas differ.

Difference between Catholic and Orthodox Christmas

Date

The difference in the dates of Christmas among Catholics and Orthodox Christians is explained quite simply. Western and Eastern churches adopted different chronology systems. After the new Gregorian calendar was compiled in the West, Catholics and Protestants began to celebrate Christmas two weeks earlier than the Orthodox. But it is believed that the date of Christmas is the same for everyone, the only difference is in the calendar.

Divine service

Here the differences between Catholic and Orthodox Christmas are more significant. In Orthodoxy, there is one divine service, in which Great Compline, Matins and Liturgy are combined. But Catholics have three festive masses on Christmas: at night, in the morning and in the afternoon.

The meaning of the holiday

Orthodox Christmas is, of course, one of the most important religious holidays of the year. But, this is rather a spiritual holiday, preceded by a very strict fast. And also, in Orthodoxy, Easter is considered more important than Christmas itself.

Catholic Christmas is not a spiritual holiday, but a family holiday, when it is customary to sit solemnly at the table. The fast before this is not as strict as in Orthodoxy, and Easter is no more important. Roughly speaking, it is more important for Orthodox people that Jesus was resurrected, and for Catholics that he was born.

The main character of the holiday

Of course, we all know that Orthodoxy honors Jesus Christ, who was born on this day. But for Catholics, things are a little more interesting. The main characters of their Christmas are considered to be Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus, who give gifts to children. By the way, it is believed that Santa enters the house through the chimney and leaves gifts in socks by the fireplace. Some Catholics consider these traditions pagan, and therefore do not treat them very well.

The word “Christ” does not mean “Anointed One”, but...

BDG-online:

A small educational program for those who do not yet know why Orthodox and Catholic Christmas are celebrated two weeks apart.

The fact is that the Catholic Church switched to a new style of chronology, that is, adopted the Gregorian calendar, and the Russian Orthodox Church continues to live according to the Julian calendar with a lag of 13 days. Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25 according to the new style (or January 7 according to the old style)? It’s simple: it is then that exactly nine months have passed since the day of the Annunciation, that is, from the day when Mary received news from the angel that the Savior of mankind would be born to her.

On December 25, Christmas, in addition to Belarusian Catholics - who make up 14 percent of all believers, is also celebrated by Protestants and some Uniates.

Atheists are used to celebrating this holiday in both ways...

Can an Orthodox Christian celebrate Catholic Christmas?

How should an Orthodox person feel about Catholic Christmas? Is it possible to celebrate it?

Christmas is the same for everyone. But Catholics celebrate it according to the Gregorian calendar, and we, Orthodox, according to the Julian calendar. On December 25, the Orthodox still celebrate the Nativity Fast.

You should not celebrate Christmas on December 25th on purpose, when there is no special reason for it. But, for example, if there are Catholics in your family, why not rejoice with them on the Savior’s Birthday. Or if you find yourself in a Catholic country: there is no need to shy away from general rejoicing, because people glorify Christ. But there is no need to abandon our tradition in favor of the Catholic one - we have January 7 to celebrate the Nativity of Christ together with almost the entire Orthodox world.

It is important to determine: what exactly is Christmas for us? It's not just about sliding down the slides and gifts under the tree. This is, first of all, worship and Communion as it is...

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___die Geburten der Tag…morgen der anfang der Tage___

…Machiavelli dei Nicolaus di Bernardo…

Catholic Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. In more than 145 countries around the world, it is an official public holiday and one of the main religious holidays of the year. In essence, Orthodox and Catholic Christmas have the same roots, which go back to ancient pre-Christian cultures. Therefore, many Christmas customs among Catholics are also no different from the traditions of Orthodox Christians. Although Catholic Christmas still has its own characteristics.

Features of the Catholic Nativity of Christ

For Catholics, Christmas is much more important than New Year. A month before Christmas, Avent begins, a time of strict fasting and repentance. Direct preparations for the holiday begin on December 20. Until the moment when the first star appears in the sky on the evening of December 24, announcing the birth of Jesus, this is the period of pre-celebration. From December 24 to January 1 is the actual holiday of the Nativity of Christ, the so-called “octave”, consisting of 8...

The first mention of Christmas is in the chronicles of the 4th century. It is not known for certain what date Jesus Christ was born, but based on the fact that the Incarnation of God (the day of the conception of Christ, the Annunciation) is celebrated nine months before Christmas, the accepted date of his birth is December 25.

The first Christians were Jews and did not celebrate Christmas (according to Jewish belief, the birth of a person is “the beginning of sorrows and pains”). For Christians, the holiday of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter) was and is more important from a doctrinal point of view. After the Greeks (and other Hellenistic peoples) entered the Christian communities, under the influence of Hellenistic customs, the celebration of the Nativity of Christ began.

The ancient Christian holiday of Epiphany on January 6 ideologically combined both Christmas and Epiphany, which later became different holidays.

In fact, in ancient times there was no single date for this holiday, but later the Universal Church decided to celebrate Christmas...

The Nativity of Christ is one of the main spiritual Orthodox holidays, which is celebrated on December 25 by Catholics and January 7 by Orthodox.

Both religions celebrate Christmas Eve - the evening before Christmas night (Jesus was born at night - hence another legend about the Star of Bethlehem.) The name in Russian comes from the word sochivo - wheat grains soaked in berry juice or honey. The holiday of Christmas itself is the date of breaking the fast - liberation from fasting and indulgence in gluttony.

What is the difference between Catholic and Orthodox Christmas?

Date

The discrepancy between the celebration of the Nativity of Christ by Western and Eastern churches is explained by the different chronology systems they adopted. After the new Gregorian calendar was compiled in the West, Catholics and Protestants began to celebrate Christmas two weeks earlier than the Orthodox. We draw the attention of readers to the fact that the date is actually the same, and the difference is in the calendar.

Catholics...

Orthodox and Catholic Christmas - what is the difference?

Christmas is a shortened name for the holiday - the Nativity of Christ. According to biblical legends, the birth of the infant Christ to the Virgin Mary took place in the Jewish city of Bethlehem on the night of December 24-25.

In what year exactly the Messiah appeared to the world is still debated by learned historians and theologians. Called the period between 12 BC. and 7 years old new era. (Where the modern chronology came from, which is carried out “from the birth of Christ,” is not entirely clear). The date December 25 was first mentioned in chronicles in 221 AD. The first Christians were Jews and did not celebrate this holiday at all. Quite widely, believers began to honor the date of Christ’s birth around the fifth century.

However, these details are not very interesting to us, because the Christmas holiday has long lost its exclusively religious connotation and has simply turned into a pleasant family holiday, in which it is customary to meet with relatives and...

The first information about the celebration of Christmas can be dated back to the 4th century. The question of the true date of birth of Jesus continues to be controversial and not clearly resolved among church authors.

Probably, the choice of the date of December 25 is related to the solar pagan holiday “Birth of the Invincible Sun,” which fell on this day. It is quite possible that after the adoption of Christianity in Rome, it acquired new content.

The Nativity of Christ involves five days before the celebration and six days after the celebration. On the eve of the holiday, a strict fast is observed, which is called Christmas Eve, since on this day they eat raw barley or wheat grains boiled with honey.

In the 13th century, the custom arose of displaying mangers in churches in which a figurine of the Baby Jesus was placed. Over time, mangers began to be installed not only in shrines, but also in homes before Christmas. Church and pagan customs - rituals are extremely organically intertwined, complementing each other...

0iStalker
> Why do Orthodox Christians celebrate the pagan New Year?
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> Valentina?
> Why do believers celebrate March 8, a day with a very dubious history and
> contrasting with the Christian religious worldview?
> Why do Christian believers trudge along pagan horoscopes, despite
> instructions of spiritual mentors?
1. New Year is not at all pagan holiday. The history of this holiday in Russia has agricultural significance and it was originally celebrated in September, when the harvest was being harvested. Later, Emperor Peter I moved the holiday to January 1, and, if I’m not confusing anything, he came up with an attribute of the holiday, which became so integral, as Santa Claus.
2. Orthodox Christians do not celebrate Halloween; for Russians, this is just another reason to relax a little and another reason not to go to work. Valentine's Day is also not celebrated by the Orthodox, but this is unnecessary...

Christmas is our favorite holiday, covered in light and joy. It contains so much warmth, kindness and love that you want to give these feelings away along with gifts to friends and family. But sometimes it turns out that they celebrate this event on a completely different day. How is this possible? When should Christmas be celebrated, and what are the reasons for the discrepancies? Let's try to figure it out.

History of the holiday

The Gospel says: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, where His mother Mary and Joseph the Betrothed went to take part in the announced population census. Due to the influx of visitors, all the hotels were occupied, so they had to settle in a cave, which served as a stable for livestock. It was there that the Son of God was born. The angel brought the news of His birth to the shepherds, who hurried to bow to Him. Another sign of the appearance of the Messiah was the delightful Star of Bethlehem, which lit up in the sky and showed the way to the Magi. They brought gifts to the Baby - incense, myrrh and...

1. Why doesn’t Easter coincide for Orthodox and Catholics?…

You can often hear definitions such as “Orthodox” and “Catholic” Christmas. What is the difference between them? First of all, the date: Catholics celebrate the holiday on December 25, Russian Orthodox – on January 7.
It all started with the fact that in 1582 a new one, the Gregorian calendar, was introduced in Europe. The Julian system that was in force before had a significant drawback: every 128 years an error occurred in comparison with the year of the equinox - an “extra” day accumulated. In the Julian calendar, all years divisible by 4 are leap years. In Gregorian, a year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4 and not divisible by 100, or divisible by 400, which is why “errors” occur less frequently.
Russia switched to the new style in 1918, by which time the difference between the calendars was 13 days, and they were simply “crossed out,” but the church did not approve of such a decision. Because of this, “our” Christmas lags behind the Catholic one. This is how a holiday with the most paradoxical name appeared - Old New Year.
On the same day as Russian...

Christmas is the brightest holiday for Christian believers. In the 11th century it was divided into two parts: Orthodox and Catholic. Each of the churches celebrates Christmas Eve on different days: Orthodox - on the night of January 6-7, Catholics - on the night of December 24-25. What other differences exist between Orthodox and Catholic Christmas?

1. Catholic and Orthodox Christmas are celebrated differently: the first from December 24 to 25, the second from January 6 to 7. This shift in dates was due to the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

2. Catholics do not have fasting as such. There is the so-called Advent - the time of waiting for the holiday. During the month before Christmas, devout Catholics try to devote more time to prayer, going to church, and communicating with family. And some even limit themselves in food - they don’t eat meat.

For the Orthodox, the Nativity Fast is the last multi-day fast of the year, lasts forty days and therefore is called Pentecost in the Church Charter, just like Lent. Since the beginning of the fast falls on the day of remembrance of St. Apostle Philip (November 14, old style), then this post is called Philippov.

You cannot eat meat, eggs, or dairy products. On weekends you can fish.

3. Goose with apples is considered a traditional Orthodox Christmas dish. Catholics have a wide variety of dishes (although some also have goose on the menu), which they prepare for Christmas. For different countries different. But in Portugal they are different even for different regions.

4. At Christmas, Catholics give gifts to everyone. We give them for the New Year, and even their tree is called “Christmas tree”, and not “New Year’s”, as we usually say.

The main character of Catholic Christmas is, as a rule, not the newborn Savior, but Santa Claus. It is from Santa that children, hanging beautiful socks over the fireplace, expect gifts. All Christmas miracles are associated with the actions of a funny fat man who laughs funny and loves to play pranks. By the way, not all Catholic priests support this almost pagan cult.

For Orthodox Christians, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. This is a purely spiritual, church holiday.

5. In the Orthodox church tradition there is one nightly Christmas service, in which Great Compline, Matins and Liturgy are combined. And in the Catholic Church there are three Christmas masses celebrated separately - at night, in the morning and during the day. This symbolizes the birth of the Savior in the womb of the Father, in the womb of the Virgin Mary and in the soul of every person.

6. Catholics have one important concept that surprisingly accurately characterizes the mood that covers people in the days before Christmas - Christmas Spirit (literally “the spirit of Christmas”). This is the time when everyone believes in miracles, when bad people suddenly become kind and affectionate, when you feel like you’re in a fairy tale. This is a time of peace, joy and love.

Let's start with the fact that the differences are in the details, and the similarities are in the essence of this great and bright holiday. The Savior has appeared to the world! And it doesn’t matter what year or what day. The entire Christian world - Orthodox and Catholic - glorifies this event, rejoices at it and becomes, albeit temporarily, kinder and more merciful.

When and where did Christmas appear?

There are several versions of when exactly Jesus Christ was born. There is a theory that it was not even in winter, but at the end of spring - on May 20. The culprit behind the emergence of this theory, so unusual for ordinary people, is Clement of Alexandria. According to his very ancient writings, the baby Jesus was born on May 20, according to the current calendar style.

Fact: The time interval for the birth date of the miraculous baby ranges between 12 BC. e. and 7 AD

Historians unanimously agree on one fact: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in a manger, that is, in a barn in which cattle are kept. The baby's mother is Maria. And the father is the holy spirit. The birth of the Savior was announced to humanity by the Star of Bethlehem, which illuminated the night sky.

This is interesting: The Jews, on whose land the Savior was born, professed Judaism and did not celebrate the holiday of Christmas. According to Jewish concepts, there is nothing joyful at all in the fact of a person’s birth - a continuous “beginning of sorrows and pains.”

The Christian world began to truly celebrate Christmas only in the 5th century AD.

Three differences between Orthodox Christmas and Catholic Christmas

• The most noticeable difference is in the date of celebration.

The reason for this is different calendars. Catholics live according to the Gregorian calendar, and the Orthodox world lives according to the Julian calendar.

It so happened that the same holiday has two birthdays - January 7 - Orthodox Christmas and December 25 - Catholic.

Fact: the first mention of the date of Christmas celebration - December 25, was noted in the chronicle of 221 AD.

The Catholic Church did not take the day of the Nativity of Christ out of its mind. She borrowed it from the pagans, who on December 25 praised the Sun and glorified his Birth. The pagans were also guided by logic - it was on December 25 that daylight hours began to increase.

• The second difference is the attitude towards the fast preceding Christmas.

In the Catholic world, strict fasting before Christmas is not observed. There are small restrictions on food, but the essence of fasting lies more in spiritual restrictions in order to cleanse the soul before the great event.

Orthodox Christians keep a strict fast that completely excludes meat and dairy products. The Nativity fast begins at the end of November and lasts until the night of January 6-7 - until the first star, the prototype of that distant Bethlehem star, which told humanity the good news.

During this fast, the religious Orthodox world allows itself a small indulgence in the form of fish only on weekends.

Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - the last day of Lent, when only sochi is allowed. These are barley or wheat grains soaked in water or honey.

Catholics also have Christmas Eve, but due to the fact that they do not keep a strict fast, its practical meaning is lost for them.

Due to strict fasting, Christmas is a breaking of the fast, implying a smooth break from fasting. Festive table On Christmas night he was always fasting and contained 12 dishes - according to the number of the apostles.

Catholics have only 12 dishes left from this tradition, but among them there is turkey, and butter pies, and everything that Lenten dishes is not.

For Catholics and Orthodox Christians, the nightly Christmas meal has one thing in common - it unites family members at the table. Christmas is a family holiday. In the Christian world, it is customary to celebrate it at home, with family and friends.

• The third difference is the nature of the holiday.

Among modern Catholics, the nature of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ has shifted more to the civil plane, moving away from the bosom of the church. External attributes remained - installations of doll nurseries with the infant Christ in churches and city squares, decoration of Christmas trees, and the ritual of exchanging gifts. It is at Christmas that Catholic children await a visit from St. Nicholas or Santa Claus.

In the Orthodox world, the Nativity of Christ is a great church holiday, accompanied by solemn divine services, magnificent and lengthy. Immediately after Christmas, Christmastide begins - two holy weeks that end on January 18th.

On Christmas night, Orthodox children do not expect gifts. Santa Claus comes to them on New Year's Eve.

Fact: Orthodox Christians have one Christmas service, continuous, consisting of three parts, lasting until the morning.

Catholics celebrate three masses at Christmas - night, morning and afternoon. They are separate and there are breaks between them.

But, be that as it may, the true spirit of Christmas remains unchanged, despite all the differences between the Catholic and Orthodox worlds. On Christmas, it is customary to give good things, help those in need, and do charity work. This is the essence of this great holiday. And who cares what inspired a person to drive envy and resentment out of his heart, to smile at a passerby, to warm and feed a homeless person? The main thing is that goodness was born, which means that the spirit of Christmas is alive and continues to work miracles.

Merry Christmas!