For most people, Christmas is a big deal. We spend time with our family, eat delicious food, and watch movies like A Christmas Story. However, not everyone celebrates Christmas on December 25th – some churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th! Why would they do that? Well, if you are asking yourself this question now, then I will tell you why:
Some people in the Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas on January 7th.
Some people in the Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas on January 7th. This is because they use the Julian calendar, which has changed so much that we think Christmas on December 25th falls on January 7th on their calendar!
This means that if you have an Orthodox friend or family member who celebrates Christmas in January, you can ask them about it to better understand why your friend is doing it the way it is.
These churches still use the Julian calendar, which has changed so much that we think Christmas on December 25th is January 7th on their calendars!
The Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC, stipulates that months should have exactly 11 days. This means that December will begin the day after September 22 (9/23), which will be New Year’s Day then. It also has a leap year every four years – but because it’s based on the lunar cycle and not the solar cycle, we add four days to the Gregorian year every 400 years or so!
The Gregorian calendar was created by Pope Gregory XIII after realizing that there were too many inconsistencies between the ancient Roman calendar and those used by the rest of Europe. He decided to create a standard calendar for all Christians so they could celebrate the holidays more consistently across Europe and the world (although some still use different calendars).
Why do they have different calendars? During the time of Julius Caesar, the Roman calendar was complex and disorderly.
The Julian calendar is a reformation of the Roman calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. It replaced the previous Roman calendar, which was based on lunar months, and was adjusted approximately every five years.
The New Julian calendar has 365 days per year and 12 months with 31 days in each month (instead of 30). The reason for the extra day at the end of February is that if the interval between two consecutive solstices or equinoxes is less than 355 days, it is considered a leap year; otherwise, it is skipped entirely.
The Orthodox Church followed the Byzantine calendar until 1700 when they agreed to this new Gregorian calendar system (although they still celebrated Christmas on December 25th).
The civil year begins in spring and consists of months of 29 or 31 days.
The civil year consists of months that are 29 or 31 days long, depending on when the beginning of spring begins. Additional months are added at irregular intervals, sometimes not always consistent with this calendar.
Some years they are added after Christmas! Example: If December 25th falls on Sunday, you have to wait until January 1st to celebrate Christmas (also known as New Year’s Day).
Additional months are added at irregular intervals to compensate for this, but in the end, the calendar is out of sync with the seasons.
The Julian calendar, devised by Julius Caesar in 45 BC, has 13 months of 28 days each. Every four years, a month is added to compensate for the fact that the seasons are out of sync.
The system is based on what we now know as Kepler’s laws: Planets orbit the sun at different speeds depending on their distance from the sun (called their orbital period). These laws were first discovered by Johannes Kepler around 1609 AD.
Why are they still using this old calendar? There are two reasons for this.
The second reason to use January is that some people don’t know it. For example, in Russia and other Eastern European countries where Orthodoxy has been the dominant religion since at least the 15th century, there was no need to change their calendars to celebrate Christmas on December 25th since they already celebrated it on January 7th.
So why are they still using this old calendar?There are two reasons for this: some see it as a Catholic conspiracy against Orthodoxy; others see it as a push by Protestant nations to separate themselves from Catholics (and therefore Christians)
First, some people don’t know; although the new calendar was introduced in 1582, Constantinople (the capital) and many other cities didn’t adopt it until 1923!
First, some people don’t know; although the new calendar was introduced in 1582, Constantinople (the capital) and many other cities didn’t adopt it until 1923!
The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 44 BC. It is based on 365 days rather than our current solar year of 365.25 days. However, this method only works if you are far from the equinoxes and solstices, so that you don’t have to add an extra leap day every four years (as we do now). The Julian calendar lasted 2900 years with 366 days in each year!
Now let’s talk about why this change happened:
Another reason is that some people don’t accept it. For example, some see it as a Catholic conspiracy against the Orthodox Church, or a push by Protestant nations to separate it from Catholics (and thus from Christians).
Another reason some people celebrate Christmas in January is that many people don’t embrace it. For example, some see it as a Catholic conspiracy against the Orthodox Church, or a push by Protestant nations to separate it from Catholics (and thus from Christians).
The Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar today – just a few days away from ours (Christmas is January 7th). However, some churches use this holiday as their celebration date instead of Christmas itself. For example, one church in Russia celebrates Christmas on December 25th, while another in Ukraine celebrates Easter!
How do our readers feel about this topic? Do you know why certain churches use their calendars?
I’ve been interested in Christmas as a whole for a long time and am always amazed to learn that some Christians celebrate it in January. Even more surprising, many others had never heard of the practice before either.
So what do your readers think about this topic? Do you know why certain churches use their calendars? Would you like to share your thoughts on why it is still used today? We don’t have any answers here, just some questions. However, if you do read this thread and find more information about it, please let us know!
