Orthodox Christmas Celebrations Around the World

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Christmas is one of the major Christian holidays, observed by Orthodox believers around the globe on January 7 according to the Julian calendar that pre-dates the 16th-century Gregorian one.
Members of the second-largest Christian communion in the world, the Orthodox Church, celebrate Christmas on January 7.
Orthodox Russians, Serbs, Georgians, Poles and Ukrainians, as well as parishioners of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, Eastern Catholic Churches, Coptic Christians and monks of Mount Athos celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar. The latter predates the Gregorian calendar used elsewhere, which was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII.
Explore Sputnik's photo gallery to find out how Christmas is celebrated by Orthodox Christians all around the globe!
© Sputnik . Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabank

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during the Christmas service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Russia.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during the Christmas service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Russia. - Sputnik Africa
1/14

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during the Christmas service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Russia.

© AP Photo / Amr Nabil

A Coptic Christian peers out of a window during an Orthodox Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of Ava Bishoy and St. Karas the Anchorite in Cairo, Egypt.

A Coptic Christian peers out of a window during an Orthodox Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of Ava Bishoy and St. Karas the Anchorite in Cairo, Egypt.   - Sputnik Africa
2/14

A Coptic Christian peers out of a window during an Orthodox Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of Ava Bishoy and St. Karas the Anchorite in Cairo, Egypt.

© AFP 2024 Karen Minasyan

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II (R), blesses members of the congregation during a service at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, as the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas, in Yerevan, Armenia.

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II (R), blesses members of the congregation during a service at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, as the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas, in Yerevan, Armenia. - Sputnik Africa
3/14

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II (R), blesses members of the congregation during a service at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, as the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas, in Yerevan, Armenia.

© AFP 2024 Andrej Isakovic

People gather during the annual ceremony of bonfire of dried oak branches, the Yule log symbol for the Orthodox Christmas eve according to the Julian calendar, at the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia.

People gather during the annual ceremony of bonfire of dried oak branches, the Yule log symbol for the Orthodox Christmas eve according to the Julian calendar, at the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia. - Sputnik Africa
4/14

People gather during the annual ceremony of bonfire of dried oak branches, the Yule log symbol for the Orthodox Christmas eve according to the Julian calendar, at the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia.

© AFP 2024 Robert Atanasovski

Children holding sticks decorated with stars sing religious songs during a religious service to celebrate Orthodox Christmas in St. Clement Cathedral in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Children holding sticks decorated with stars sing religious songs during a religious service to celebrate Orthodox Christmas in St. Clement Cathedral in Skopje, North Macedonia. - Sputnik Africa
5/14

Children holding sticks decorated with stars sing religious songs during a religious service to celebrate Orthodox Christmas in St. Clement Cathedral in Skopje, North Macedonia.

© AP Photo / Mahmoud Illean

Orthodox priests walk outside the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank.

Orthodox priests walk outside the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank. - Sputnik Africa
6/14

Orthodox priests walk outside the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank.

© Sputnik . Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabank

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during the Christmas service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Russia.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during the Christmas service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Russia. - Sputnik Africa
7/14

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during the Christmas service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Russia.

© AP Photo / Mindaugas Kulbis

Lithuanian Orthodox Church worshippers light candles before the liturgy on Orthodox Christmas Eve in the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Lithuanian Orthodox Church worshippers light candles before the liturgy on Orthodox Christmas Eve in the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania. - Sputnik Africa
8/14

Lithuanian Orthodox Church worshippers light candles before the liturgy on Orthodox Christmas Eve in the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

© VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO

Orthodox priests hold a Christmas service at a church in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Orthodox priests hold a Christmas service at a church in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. - Sputnik Africa
9/14

Orthodox priests hold a Christmas service at a church in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

© Sputnik . POOL/Gavriil Grigorov / Go to the mediabank

Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Christmas service in the Church of Our Savior Not Made by Hands on the territory of the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence.

Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Christmas service in the Church of Our Savior Not Made by Hands on the territory of the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence. - Sputnik Africa
10/14

Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Christmas service in the Church of Our Savior Not Made by Hands on the territory of the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence.

© AP Photo / Mahmoud Illean

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Teophilos III holds a mass in the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Teophilos III holds a mass in the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank. - Sputnik Africa
11/14

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Teophilos III holds a mass in the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank.

© AFP 2024 Elvis Barukcic

A man throws a branch into the fire as Sarajevo Orthodox Christians attend the annual bonfire of dried oak branches to mark the Orthodox Christmas Eve, at the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A man throws a branch into the fire as Sarajevo Orthodox Christians attend the annual bonfire of dried oak branches to mark the Orthodox Christmas Eve, at the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. - Sputnik Africa
12/14

A man throws a branch into the fire as Sarajevo Orthodox Christians attend the annual bonfire of dried oak branches to mark the Orthodox Christmas Eve, at the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

© AFP 2024 Amanuel Sileshi

Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers hold candles as they gather to pray ahead of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas celebrations at the Bole Medhanialem Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers hold candles as they gather to pray ahead of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas celebrations at the Bole Medhanialem Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. - Sputnik Africa
13/14

Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers hold candles as they gather to pray ahead of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas celebrations at the Bole Medhanialem Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

© AP Photo / Mahmoud Illean

Nuns visit the Grotto of the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank.

Nuns visit the Grotto of the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank. - Sputnik Africa
14/14

Nuns visit the Grotto of the Nativity Church, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, West Bank.

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