Congratulate the Orthodox on Christmas →

On January 7, Eastern Christians celebrate a great holiday, one of the twelve, the Nativity of Christ The birth of Jesus Christ is a great day for the entire Christian world It is celebrated in more than a hundred countries around the world There is a difference between Western and Eastern Christians in celebrating this date The Western Church lives according to the Gregorian calendar, and Christmas is celebrated on December 25, and the Eastern Church according to the Julian, and for us Christmas falls on January 7, exactly 9 months after the Annunciation on April 7, when the Archangel notified the Virgin Mary that she had been chosen for the great future of Christianity peace And so, on January 7, the immaculate Virgin Mary gave the world the baby Jesus He came into this world in Bethlehem, in a cave where animals were kept In the absence of a cradle, the baby was placed in a manger, which served as a feeding trough for animals The first to come to worship the Savior were local shepherds, to whom an Angel announced the birth of the Son of God At that time, the Magi, ancient sages, who knew that soon the Lord would soon send his son to Earth, were already on their way from the east Jesus was born After the fall of Eve, humanity had a second chance to earn the forgiveness of the Almighty and gain immortality The Magi brought gifts to the newborn, gold, frankincense and myrrh Gold was presented to kings and rulers as recognition of strength and power on Earth Frankincense as a sign of acceptance of God, and myrrh as a reminder of the infant mortality inherent in every person On the night of January 6-7, churches and temples hold services that tell the story of Jesus in chants On the eve of Christmas there is a strict fast, and it ends with the rise of the first star in the sky The entire Christian world is eagerly awaiting this star This is the Star of Bethlehem According to legend, it was she who showed the way to the magi to the cave Prepare for the big day in advance Near each temple there is an improvised cave with a manger containing a child All believers, coming to the service, cross themselves in front of the manger, offering prayers Christmas is a good, family holiday Adults tell kids about the holiday, and children willingly participate in the process of preparing for a very important day With the rising of the star, after the service, Christians sit down at the tables and the night meal begins Each family has its own special celebration traditions After Christmas comes the time of Christmastide - twelve holy days, during which the celebration continues