Why Some Christians Celebrate Christmas on January 7 | Religion

The exact date of Jesus’ birth has not been established.

Christmas is a day celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, whom many Christians believe to be the son of God.

While many celebrate Christmas on December 25, some Orthodox Christians celebrate it on January 7.

Birth of Jesus

• Not an exact date. The exact date of Jesus’ birth has not been established in any secular text. In the absence of historical evidence, the date was estimated by analyzing the historical events mentioned in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew and the ministry of Jesus.

• The date of January 7 is based on the Julian calendar of religious holidays, which existed before the Gregorian.
• Old Christmas Day. Christmas on January 7 is also known as Old Christmas Day. The days were removed to compensate for the difference with the Julian calendar when England switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1752.
• Many people did not accept the change and preferred to use the Julian calendar.
• More than a third of Orthodox Christians. In Russia, home to 39% of the world’s Orthodox Christians, people celebrate Christmas Eve on January 6 with services, and on January 7 they mark the birth of Jesus.

• The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6, as well as Epiphany (the revelation that Jesus was the son of God).
• Sunday was the first Christian holiday. In the second century, the Resurrection became a separate feast, and Epiphany began to be celebrated in Eastern churches on January 6.

Where was Jesus born?

• Bethlehem, Palestine. The Gospels of Luke and Matthew state that Jesus was born in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem during the time of King Herod.
• Mary lived in Nazareth. The Gospels explain that Mary lived in Nazareth before the birth of Jesus and at the time of the Annunciation. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but the family later moved to Nazareth.
• The Quran also places his birth in Bethlehem.

Orthodox celebrations in photos

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