In countries like Russia, Serbia, Greece, and Ukraine, Orthodox Christmas is a national holiday. (Source: Reuters/Twitter)On January 7, people dressed as Santa Claus and reindeers participated in a race in Moscow to celebrate Orthodox Christmas.
While popularly Christmas is celebrated on 25 December around the around, the Orthodox Christian community celebrates it in January. The date is picked in accordance with the Julian calendar.
Hundreds of costumed runners dressed in Christmas-themed costumes raced in Moscow to celebrate Orthodox Christmas pic.twitter.com/LPfGyVQqCU
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 8, 2022
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In countries like Russia, Serbia, Greece, and Ukraine, Orthodox Christmas is a national holiday. In terms of traditions, Orthodox Christians fast for days leading up to Christmas and then break it with a 12-course meal. Slavic countries also include the ritual of fortune-telling in their celebrations.
Here is how the festival was celebrated around the world:
Bethlehem will celebrate Orthodox Christmas with a midnight mass service that will be led by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, who arrived at the city today pic.twitter.com/5odh8C9a8Q
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 7, 2022
Orthodox Christmas Eve at Lalibela, Ethiopia.Thousands of Ethiopians from the diaspora have made the journey to join the festivities, ignoring the mass hysteria of mainstream media such as @CNN @BBC and #NoMore 😉 pic.twitter.com/ecuGGLFItT
— Pulp Faction (@DanielsonKassa1) January 7, 2022
Bringing this back in honor of January 7, Orthodox Christmas. shobas gilocavt yvelas. This is Trio Mandili and they’re awesome 🕯️🇬🇪pic.twitter.com/NlrMjgtXZt
— Gwen Tandilashvili (@Gvantza) January 7, 2022
Pictures from the #OrthodoxChristmas parade in #Bethlehem, #Palestine pic.twitter.com/auswoEAxXf
— Palestine in the UK (@PalMissionUK) January 6, 2022
#Christmas day in #moldova today…young children traditionally sing a #carol in front of the church and get a present 🎁 from the Pardre #OrthodoxChristmas pic.twitter.com/6Y9TyRVd4F
— MOLDOVA WINE TRAVEL (@quick_philip) January 7, 2022
Recently, some supporters of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic gathered outside the hotel in Australia where he was held and celebrated Orthodox Charismas by lighting candles and singing carols on its eve.
#Djokovic supporters are lighting candles and singing outside the Melbourne hotel where the tennis pro is being held to mark Orthodox Christmas Eve. Some have dashed over after church. In the video they are chanting “Nole”, the pro’s nickname #AO2022 #Melbourne #novakdjokovic pic.twitter.com/u1RaGPop3K
— Marta Pascual Juanola (@MartaPascual3) January 6, 2022
With the surge in Covid-19, triggered by the Omicron virus, many countries have imposed restrictions on public gatherings. These measures limited the scope of celebrations in many places.
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